Indonesia: Greenpeace claims new evidence shows palm oil firms destroying rainforest
Greenpeace said today it had fresh evidence that palm oil firms linked to Indonesian agribusiness giant Sinar Mas have bulldozed rainforest and destroyed endangered orang-utan habitats in Kalimantan.
The charges were denied by palm oil firm PT SMART Tbk, part of Sinar Mas, which has already said it would stop clearing critical forests.
The accusations, levelled by Greenpeace in a new report, are the latest chapter in a long and bitter dispute between the conservationists and a key player in one of Indonesia's biggest industries, palm oil.
The high-stakes battle has already led to top palm oil-buyers Unilever and Nestle dropping PT SMART as a supplier. Earlier this month, HSBC sold its shares in Sinar Mas.