The Pesticide Action Network Asia and Pacific condemns Nestle SA, the multinational food company, for sourcing palm oil from unsustainable suppliers that continue to destroy rainforests in the wake of a major study by environmental group Greenpeace.

This is just the latest in a long history of destructive and irresponsible practices by Nestle. This is a company that has systematically undermined the rights of its workers, of communities, and the environment and it is time for it to be held accountable for its actions.

On March 17, Greenpeace released a report titled ‘Caught Red Handed: How Nestle’s Use of Palm Oil is Destroying Rainforests and the Climate,’ that claims Nestl é is obtaining its palm oil, a major ingredient in many of its products that span from baby formula to candy bars, from suppliers that continue to expand into the rainforest and carbon-rich peatlands as well as critical orangutan habitats.

PAN AP supports Greenpeace in calling on Nestle to cancel its contracts with Indonesian palm oil producer Sinar Mas, which is accused of expanding into virgin rainforest and peatlands. Food and cosmetics giant Unilever canceled a US$30 million contract with the company in 2009, while Kraft canceled its contract with Sinar Mas in February this year.

Procuring palm oil from Sinar Mas is also a clear breach of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Code of Conduct which calls on members to promote and procure palm oil from sustainable sources.

The Greenpeace campaign has spawned protests around the world and generated mass support by capitalising on consumer recognition of one of Nestle’s best known products: the Kit-Kat chocolate bar.

The report tells consumers that: ‘Every time you take a bite of a Kit-Kat, you are taking a bite out of Indonesia’s rainforests’. It has also altered the famous Kit-Kat slogan and launched a series of billboards which say: ‘Give Me a Break: Stop Nestle Destroying Rainforests for Palm Oil’.

For more information on Nestle, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, or other issues related to agriculture and the environment, please visit here .

The writer is executive director, Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), an NGO member of the RSPO .