Why is Greenpeace against the Nutella boycott?

The reason for your forgiveness? While it is true that Nutella is just one example of the myriad of foods that contain the nefarious palm oil among their ingredients, pointing out a single product was not a good idea. Among other things, because Nutella is not a wayward company that resists change, but quite the opposite, say activist associations such as Greenpeace or Verité.

Does that mean that Greenpeace encourages us to consume Nutella? No. It simply points out that Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, is making great strides and is currently purchasing palm oil from suppliers that operate with environmental responsibility .

Therefore, it is not fair to put all the blame on one of the few companies that is making serious progress in cleaning up its palm oil supply chain. In fact, Ferrero said a few months ago that it had reached its goal of using only sustainable palm oil a year before its goal.

These are advances that are being made little by little, but they are welcome. This does not prevent a decision to boycott a product from being made because of what it has done in the past or what it continues to do, despite improvements. These improvements, on the other hand, are being achieved through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an organization that brings together different stakeholders (industry, environmental groups, banks, etc.) to advance in the product sustainability.

Thus, Greenpeace, very combative against Nutella a few years ago, has now issued a press release to oppose the boycott of Nutella and also a general boycott of all products containing palm oil because “a general boycott will not solve problems in its production. ”

Should we consume products that contain palm oil? In general, growing palm oil means following a model that is harmful to the planet and also contrary to a more egalitarian society. Its critics say that child laborers are employed, that working conditions are unsafe and that, in sum, it is the antipode of the principles of Fair Trade.

Nor is it a panacea for health. Palm oil is bad for your health and, in fact, it is one of the star products of industrial bakery. Remember that despite its natural origin, it is saturated fat , which triggers cholesterol. However, not all cases are comparable. Again, being informed is the best way to find an answer. Palm oil yes, palm oil no? Only if it is sustainable, not even if it is? It’s up to you!

If you want to know more about this topic, we recommend you read this other AgroCorrn article on Why is palm oil so bad?

With regard to Ferrero, the activist group recalled that the Italian firm has “an ambitious policy” to improve the supply of palm oil. “Therefore, we consider Ferrero to be one of the most progressive consumer-facing companies with regard to the purchase of palm oil components,” the organization said.

The media beating that Greenpeace has been giving Ferrero for years has now become a flexibility that responds to the positive response that the company has had . But, although it is true that he has not turned a deaf ear, he still has a long way to go in this regard.

Thus, consumers will decide much better with the information in hand. Logically, Greenpeace’s word is not law, nor can it be said that Ferrero is behaving impeccably. Of course, the capacity for dialogue and progress are a plus, it cannot be denied.

Verité , an international organization that advocates for social justice and is dedicated to denouncing exploitative working conditions such as those that often occur in these crops, joins the Greenpeace recommendation . “Consumers should be aware of how destructive growing palm oil can be, but Ferrero is one of the few companies that has endorsed the highest standards.”

If you want to read more articles similar to Why is Greenpeace against the Nutella boycott? , we recommend that you enter our category of Sustainability and sustainable development .