Collagen supplements are used by a range of celebrities to supposedly improve the health of skin, hair and joints.
But this new craze is fuelling deforestation of the Amazon rainforest – the green lungs of the Earth.
An investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that tens of thousands of cattle, which were being raised on farms that were damaging tropical forests, were processed at abattoirs connected to the international collagen supply chain.
Collagen can be extracted from fish, pig and cattle skin, but the wildly popular “bovine” variety is responsible for at least 2,600sq km of forest loss and violence against indigenous peoples in Brazil.
One brand, Vital Proteins, is promoted by the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Georgia Toffolo and Mark Wright, but there’s no suggestion celebrities knew of the links to deforestation before posting ads.
The Nestlé-owned brand is currently on sale at Amazon, Boots, Costco and Holland & Barrett.
JBS, Brazil’s largest meat company, which has previously been investigated for deforestation in its supply chain, has also recently built a dedicated collagen plant to expand into the industry.
JBS has now pledged to eliminate deforestation from its supply chains by 2025, including destruction linked to indirect suppliers that sell to middlemen.
Bovine collagen is a protein extracted from cattle hides that can be processed into a fine white powder.
As a so-called byproduct of the cattle industry, unlike beef, soy, palm oil and other commodities, collagen is not covered by recent legislation in the UK or forthcoming EU regulation designed to tackle deforestation.
“Fresh beef products exported to the EU have to be traced back to a ranch of origin,” said Chris Moye from the Environmental Investigation Agency.
“The same doesn’t really apply to the by-products. You will never know, therefore, where it comes from.
Nestlé said Vital Proteins has received confirmation that collagen from the tannery used will no longer enter its supply chain.
It added that it is “taking steps to ensure its products are deforestation-free by 2025.”
Both Holland & Barrett and Boots say they are now talking to suppliers to make sure products are responsibly sourced.
