Despite a 2013 pledge by major palm oil firms to maintain environmentally friendly operations, a recent report by environmental group Earthqualizer revealed that more than 440,000 hectares of forest and peat land (roughly three times the size of London) have been cleared for oil plantation in Indonesia between 2016 and 2021; and 210,000 hectares in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
The pledge – known as “No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation” (NDPE) policy – banned the companies from cutting down trees in forests and damaging wetland areas. The failure to comply supposed to result in sanctions from buyers.
