Carole Mitchell
Mighty Earth at COP28
If you want to connect with Mighty Earth at COP28 reach us at [email protected]
Mighty Earth is heading to COP28 in Dubai, where we will be hosting an event and taking part in several others.
Our primary focus will be food systems and how we create a more resilient and sustainable agriculture sector, while ending deforestation and restoring nature.
Food and land use systems are responsible for at least a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and extreme weather events already threaten food production, particularly in developing countries, which contribute the least to global heating.
One of the biggest climate polluters and drivers of deforestation is the meat industry. The events we are attending and hosting will largely examine how we put further pressure on the sector to change its ways to protect people and nature that rely on standing forests.
EVENTS
1000 – 1045 UAE 2nd December, Food4Climate Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP28, Dubai
The Methane Snail Race: How big meat and dairy companies are lagging in the critical decade for methane action.
Panel Discussion. Hosted by Changing Markets.
Speakers:
- Nusa Urbancic, Changing Markets Foundation Executive Director
- Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty Earth CEO
- John Willis, Planet Tracker, Director of Research
Moderator - Rachel Sherrington, DeSmog
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1515 – 1600 UAE 4th December, Food4Climate Pavilion, Blue Zone, Thematic Arena 2, Stand 100, Ground Floor
Reducing Deforestation and Industrial Farming – a Climate Win-Win
Panel Discussion. Hosted by World Animal Protection
Speakers:
- Rodrigo Agostinho, President of IBAMA
- Glenn Hurowitz, Mighty Earth CEO
- Edel Morais, Secretariat for Traditional Peoples and Communities and Sustainable Rural Development
Moderator - Natália Figueiredo, External Affairs Manager of World Animal Protection Brazil
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1000 – 1045 UAE 6th December, Food4Climate Pavilion, Blue Zone, Thematic Arena 2
How Public Markets Are Driving Capital to Food Systems Transformation Empowering change
Panel Discussion. Hosted by VegTech(™)
Speakers:
- Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech(™) Invest, Advisor to the publicly traded Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF.
- Glenn Hurowitz, Founder and CEO at Mighty Earth
- FAIRR rep (TBC)
- Aimee Christenses, Christensen Global (introductions)
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1540 – 1915 UAE 6th December, Food4Climate Pavilion, Blue Zone, Thematic Arena 2
Empowering change on the frontline of Amazon deforestation
Screening of the multi-award winning “We Are Guardians” + panel discussion + drinks reception. Hosted by Mighty Earth.
Speakers
- Puyr Tembé, President of the State Federation of the Indigenous Peoples of Pará
- Edivan Guajajara, the Indigenous producer/director of the film
- Andre Vasconcelos, Global Engagement Lead, Global Engagement Lead
Moderator - Glenn Hurowitz, Founder and CEO at Mighty Earth
Join us in person in Dubai or online for the event on the 6th.
Link to register Event live streamed
Cargill Announces Commitment to Eliminate Ecosystem Destruction linked to key commodities across Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay by 2025
Mighty Earth calls for immediate implementation and an extension of Cargill's commitment to other deforestation hot spots including Bolivia, Paraguay, and Colombia
Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz said:
"Cargill's new commitment to eliminate ecosystem destruction in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay linked to soy, corn, wheat and cotton by 2025 is an important but incomplete step for nature, climate, and communities.
"As a top driver of ecosystem destruction in Latin America, Cargill’s commitment can make a big difference on the ground if fully implemented. But we have two significant concerns with the company’s announcement.
"First, there’s no reason why nature should get protection in only these three countries – and why it shouldn’t be protected immediately. Cargill is one of the top drivers of nature destruction in Bolivia, Paraguay, and Colombia. Bolivia experienced a 32% increase in primary forest loss between 2021 and 2022 – four times the rate of Brazil. This is, in part, due to Cargill’s continued willingness to buy from suppliers engaged in deforestation.
"Second, Cargill’s commitment effectively gives the green light for deforestation for a further 18 months, because it doesn’t go into effect until 2025 and lacks any mention of a cut-off date – the date non-compliant supply is not permissible. We’re calling on Cargill – along with the signatories of the COP27 Agribusiness Roadmap – to agree to a cut off date of 2020 to ensure this incomplete policy does not spark a 'race to bulldoze' in biomes such as the Grand Chaco and the Chiquitano ahead of 2025.
"Cargill's commitment should spark accelerated action by food and agriculture companies on deforestation in the lead-up to the COP28 climate summit. This news should also be a wake-up call for competitors like ADM, who recently announced an even weaker policy to eliminate deforestation by 2027. Given Cargill’s historic leading role in driving forest destruction, their commitment should be considered an absolute baseline. Today, we have written to Cargill’s competitors to urge acceleration of their commitments.
"Given Cargill’s track record, Mighty Earth will continue to closely monitor cases of deforestation in Cargill’s supply chains."
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Previous Mighty Earth reports about Cargill:
- Cargill named “The Worst Company in the World”
- Scandal: How Cargill sank the COP27 deal to end soy-driven deforestation, see “Cargill: Still the Worst”
- The Avoidable Crisis (focus on Paraguay and Argentina)
- Promises, Promises – Analysis of Cargill and other companies’ recent deforestation in Brazil
- Tesco: A basket of problems for the Amazon
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Sydney Jones, Press Secretary
Climate Organizers Stage Squid Games "Die-In" at the LA Auto Show to Protest Hyundai Use of Child Labor and Dirty Coal
For media inquiries please contact April Thomas, [email protected]
(Los Angeles, California)— During the LA auto show, on Saturday, November 18 at 10am PT climate organizers from Mighty Earth and Youth Climate Strike LA staged a “die-in” to protest Hyundai’s use of child labor and dirty coal as part of their auto supply chain and to encourages the world’s third largest automaker to clean up their supply chain as they transition to Electric Vehicles.
Matthew Groch, senior director for heavy industry decarbonization at the environmental advocacy group Mighty Earth said:
“From hiring children to work as part of their supply chain in Alabama to operating coal-fired blast furnaces in South Korea, it’s well past the time for Hyundai to clean up their supply chain. Hyundai markets itself as a ‘green company’ but there’s nothing green about dirty coal and child labor.”
The unprecedented transition to EVs represents a huge opportunity not only to cut pollution globally but to spur the creation of thousands of family-sustaining auto manufacturing and auto supply chain jobs for workers to build clean vehicles of the future. However, as the EV transition spreads, by 2040, 60% of embodied emissions from EVs are expected to come from the materials used to build the cars, such as high-carbon materials like steel and aluminum that are made with coal-fired energy. Pollution from these coal-dependent processes is linked to respiratory illnesses, cancer, and premature death for predominantly communities of color on the fence lines of these operations in places such as Dearborn Michigan and Burns Harbor Indiana.
In the US, Hyundai was found to have hired children as part of their supply chain. In August, labor groups in Alabama and Georgia spoke out to condemn this practice. In Korea, Hyundai Steel, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group and a major supplier of the steel used in Hyundai’s vehicles (including the Ioniq series), operates 3 out of the 11 coal-fired blast furnaces in South Korea and is the company with the third largest greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Alongside Hyundai Steel, Korea’s largest steelmaker and top industrial emitter, POSCO, is also a major supplier of Hyundai Motor Group, and operates the other 8 blast furnaces in the country, including 6 mega-furnaces with huge GHG and air pollutant emissions. Recent research by Solutions for Our Climate and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air showed that the air pollution from these 11 blast furnaces was related to approximately 506 premature deaths in 2021.
Sim Bilal of Youth Climate Strike LA said:
“We’re doing this protest today because no child should be working in a factory, nor should any automakers still be using dirty coal as part of their supply chain. It’s time for Hyundai to lead the charge and take immediate steps to clean up the impacts of some of the most environmentally impactful materials used to manufacture its vehicles: steel, aluminum and batteries.”
Hyundai's electric vehicles have been making headways in the United States, winning multiple awards. The company is positioning itself in the U.S market as a leader in sustainability and the transition to electric vehicles. Despite its claims of "leadership in electrification", 94% of Hyundai's total sales in 2022 still consisted of fossil fuel vehicles.
Hyundai also claims its electric vehicles are “answering the call for sustainability” with "sustainable materials applied throughout." However, the efforts of Hyundai, and its subsidiary Kia, to eliminate emissions, environmental harms and human rights abuses from their supply chains were recently evaluated as part of the Lead the Charge Leaderboard, which revealed that Hyundai Motor Group is falling far behind many of its peers on sustainable and equitable supply chains.
This protest is a culmination of a series of pressure points targeting automakers with dirty supply chains at this week's LA Auto Show. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep Ro Khanna (CA-17) joined a panel event of experts to discuss steps needed for automakers to clean up their supply chains as they transition to EVs. Yesterday, Public Citizen (in collaboration with the United Auto Workers) protested Toyota’s various attempts to muddy the waters and slow the transition to zero emissions vehicles.
About Mighty Earth
Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect half of Earth for Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. We are obsessed with impact and aspire to be the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the world. Our team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, and cocoa, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.
Un nouveau rapport met en garde sur l’impact de la demande mondiale de noix de cajou sur la biodiversité et sur l'insécurité alimentaire en Côte d'Ivoire
Mighty Earth demande à l'industrie des noix de cajou de prendre des mesures pour mettre un terme à son expansion dans ce pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest, afin de permettre à la nature de se rétablir.
Une seule culture domine le paysage près de Bondoukou, dans le nord-est de la Côte d'Ivoire : l'anacarde. Source : Mighty Earth : Mighty Earth
Un nouveau rapport de Mighty Earth, du Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH) et de Green Forest Africa révèle, pour la première fois, comment la demande mondiale croissante de noix de cajou a entraîné une expansion rapide des plantations en Côte d'Ivoire, impactant la nature et menaçant la sécurité alimentaire.
Le pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest est aujourd'hui le premier exportateur de noix de cajou au monde, gagnant plus de 961 millions de dollars grâce aux exportations de noix de cajou en 2021, et produisant plus d'un million de tonnes de noix de cajou en 2022. L'année dernière, le marché mondial de la noix de cajou représentait 7 milliards de dollars.
La Côte d'Ivoire a perdu jusqu'à 90 % de ses forêts au cours des 30 dernières années, l'agriculture, et principalement le cacao, en est le principal moteur. Le rapport alerte sur le fait qu’il faut éviter que l'expansion de la culture de la noix de cajou impacte à nouveau la nature.
Principales conclusions du rapport :
- L'analyse satellitaire réalisée par Mighty Earth révèle que certaines régions productrices de noix de cajou en Côte d'Ivoire ont connu une perte de 25 % de leur couvert de forêt primaire entre 2019 et 2023.
- En Côte d'Ivoire, la culture des noix de cajou occupe une superficie presque équivalente à celle des îles d’Hawaï (1,6 million d'hectares).
- Les États-Unis sont le plus grand consommateur de noix de cajou au monde. En 2021, ils ont importé près de 30 % des amandes de noix de cajou du monde, l'Allemagne (10,5 %) et les Pays-Bas (8,27 %) étant les suivants.
Tout en permettant aux agriculteurs d'avoir un revenu vital, le cajou se cultive principalement dans des paysages de savane boisée, cruciaux pour la faune et la flore. Le parc national de la Comoé, l'une des plus importantes réserves naturelles d'Afrique de l'Ouest, est entouré à l'est, au sud et au sud-ouest par des plantations de noix de cajou. Le parc abrite le chimpanzé de l'Ouest, une espèce gravement menacée, et constitue l'un des derniers habitats intacts de l'espèce.
Amourlaye Touré, Consultant pour Mighty Earth, a déclaré :
“Mighty Earth travaille depuis de nombreuses années à mettre fin à la déforestation causée par le cacao en Côte d’Ivoire. Grâce à nos analyses satellitaires et à nos enquêtes sur le terrain avec des partenaires locaux, nous avons commencé à suivre les menaces que d’autres produits de base, notamment le caoutchouc naturel dans le sud et la noix de cajou dans le nord, font peser sur les forêts restantes.”
« Les plantations de cajou dominent le paysage à perte de vue. Lorsque j’ai grandi en Côte d'Ivoire, la faune a toujours été abondante, mais aujourd’hui lorsque je voyage dans les régions productrices de noix de cajou, il est très difficile d'apercevoir des animaux sauvages ou des oiseaux. Nous devons veiller à ce que les producteurs de noix de cajou bénéficient d'un soutien pour passer à des pratiques durables afin de préserver leurs moyens de subsistance et de protéger la nature. »
Un agriculteur du village de Tioro, près de la ville de Korhogo, a déclaré à Mighty Earth :
« Certes, les noix de cajou nous ont permis de développer nos villages, mais nous sommes conscients que la culture de l'anacarde a entraîné la disparition d'un grand nombre de nos espèces naturelles. Elle a fait fuir de nombreux animaux que l'on trouvait facilement dans la savane. »
Le Conseil du Coton et de l'Anacarde, qui supervise le secteur ivoirien du cajou, indique que l'industrie joue un rôle vital dans l'économie du nord du pays, en soutenant environ un demi-million de ménages agricoles. Cependant, le rapport révèle que l'expansion des vergers de cajou sur de vastes zones a créé des « déserts verts » dépourvus de biodiversité. Quand elles sont combinées avec l'utilisation intensive de pesticides chimiques, les « monocultures » d'anacardiers constituent une menace existentielle pour la flore et la faune indigènes du pays.
L'expansion de la culture du cajou a également un coût humain. Dans le nord de la Côte d'Ivoire, les anacardiers ont rapidement remplacé les cultures vivrières traditionnelles telles que l'igname et le manioc, ce qui oblige les agriculteurs à acheter ces aliments de base. Une surabondance de noix de cajou au début de l'année 2023 a provoqué l'effondrement du marché, laissant de nombreux ménages ruraux vulnérables face l'insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle.
Ofi, l’un des plus grands producteurs de noix de cajou au monde, dont les ateliers de transformation se trouvent en Côte d’Ivoire, a fourni des informations sur les enjeux de durabilité auxquels il fait face, dans le cadre du rapport.
En réponse aux préoccupations soulevées dans le rapport, ofi a déclaré :
« Compte tenu du manque d'accès des agriculteurs aux connaissances sur les bonnes pratiques agricoles et de l'importance des paysages biodiversifiés pour la résilience des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires, il est facile de comprendre pourquoi les problèmes soulevés dans le rapport peuvent se produire. En effet, nos équipes sociales ivoiriennes constatent des taux élevés de malnutrition, de nombreux ménages agricoles n'ayant pas accès aux aliments contenant les micronutriments nécessaires au fonctionnement normal du système immunitaire et à une santé optimale, ce qui a un impact négatif sur la productivité et le potentiel de gain. À cela s'ajoutent souvent des infrastructures sanitaires insuffisantes et un manque d'accès à l'eau potable et à l'assainissement. Mais des solutions existent. Grâce à la formation et à un meilleur accès au financement, les agriculteurs peuvent améliorer les rendements et la qualité de leurs récoltes à partir des mêmes arbres. »
Julian Oram, Directeur Afrique pour Mighty Earth, a déclaré :
« La culture du cajou s'est avérée être une arme à double tranchant pour la Côte d'Ivoire. D'une part, elle a constitué une importante source de revenus pour les communautés du nord du pays. D'autre part, la culture de l'anacarde continue de s'étendre de manière incontrôlée sur les quelques rares zones de végétation naturelle restantes, menaçant des dizaines d'espèces emblématiques qui luttent pour leur survie. »
« Si nous continuons à faire comme si de rien n'était, la noix de cajou pourrait être un nouveau clou dans le cercueil de dizaines d'espèces emblématiques, y compris le chimpanzé occidental, tout en risquant d'entraîner l’insécurité alimentaire des agriculteurs. Nous demandons à l'industrie de cesser toute expansion afin de permettre à la nature de se rétablir. »
Souleymane Fofana, coordinateur général du Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH), un réseau d'ONG ivoiriennes de défense des droits de l'homme :
« Nous ne pouvons pas ignorer les leçons de l'industrie du cacao, qui a permis pendant des années une déforestation rampante. Le Conseil du Coton et de l'Anacarde doit travailler avec les agriculteurs, les entreprises et la société civile pour développer un plan d'action pour un cajou durable qui protège la nature et soutient les agriculteurs. »
Mighty Earth et ses partenaires de la coalition lancent un appel :
- Les acteurs de l'industrie tout au long de la chaîne d'approvisionnement doivent travailler avec les agriculteurs locaux, la société civile et les agences gouvernementales pour restaurer les paysages de noix de cajou en investissant dans des pratiques agricoles durables, réduire la dépendance des agriculteurs à l'égard de la noix de cajou et prendre des mesures pour protéger les personnes qui travaillent dans l'industrie.
- Les entreprises qui achètent et vendent des noix de cajou doivent développer une traçabilité transparente et complète (au niveau de l'exploitation) afin de comprendre l'éventail des problèmes environnementaux et sociaux dans les endroits où elles s'approvisionnent en noix de cajou.
- Une meilleure réglementation de l'industrie et la promotion de chaînes d'approvisionnement en noix de cajou socialement et écologiquement responsables.
New report warns global demand for cashews is driving nature loss and food insecurity in Côte d’Ivoire
Mighty Earth is calling for the industry to take action to halt further cashew expansion in the West African country to allow nature to recover
A single crop dominates the landscape near Bondoukou, Northeast Côte d’Ivoire: cashew. Source: Mighty Earth
A new report by Mighty Earth, Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH), and Green Forest Africa reveals, for the first time, how increasing global demand for cashews has driven a rapid expansion of cashew orchards in Côte d’Ivoire, causing nature loss and threatening food security.
The West African country is now the number one exporter of cashew in the world, earning over $961 million from cashew exports in 2021, and producing more than one million tons of cashew in 2022. Last year the global cashew market was worth $7 billion.
Côte d’Ivoire has lost as much as 90% of its forests over the past 30 years, with agriculture, largely cocoa, as the primary driver. The report warns that further nature loss from cashew expansion must be avoided.
Key findings from the report:
- Satellite analysis by Mighty Earth reveals that some cashew-growing regions in Côte d’Ivoire have seen as much as a 25% loss of primary forest cover between 2019 - 2023.
- An area nearly the size of the Hawaiian islands (1.6 million hectares) is used to cultivate cashews in Côte d’Ivoire.
- The US is the world’s largest consumer of cashew. In 2021, it imported nearly 30% of the world’s cashew nut kernels, with Germany (10.5%) and the Netherlands (8.27%) being the next largest importers.
While providing vital income for farmers, much of this farming has taken place on forested savannah landscapes, crucial for wildlife. One of West Africa’s most important wildlife reserves, the Comoé National Park, is surrounded to the East, South and South-West by cashew plantations. The park is home to the critically endangered Western Chimpanzee, and is one of the species’ last remaining intact habitats.
Amourlaye Touré, Senior Adviser at Mighty Earth said:
“Mighty Earth has been working to end cocoa-driven deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire for many years. Through satellite data analysis and ground investigations with local partners, we began tracking threats to the remaining forests posed by other commodities, notably natural rubber in the south, and cashew in the north.”
“Cashew plantations dominate the landscape as far as the eye can see. Growing up in Côte d’Ivoire there was always an abundance of wildlife, but travelling through cashew growing regions now, it’s very hard to spot wild animals or birds.”
“We need to ensure cashew farmers are supported to shift to sustainable practices to safeguard their livelihoods and protect nature.”
A farmer from Tioro village, near the town of Korhogo, told Mighty Earth:
“Certainly, cashew nuts have enabled us to develop our villages, but we are aware that cashew cultivation has caused many of our natural species to disappear. It has driven away many animals easily found in the savannah."
The Conseil du Coton et de l'anacarde (Cotton and Cashew Council), which oversees the Ivorian cashew sector, says the industry plays a vital role in the economy of the north of the country, supporting around half a million farming households. However, the report reveals that the expansion of cashew orchards over vast areas has created “green deserts” devoid of biodiversity. When combined with heavy use of chemical pesticides, single-crop cashew ‘monocultures’ pose an existential threat to the country’s native flora and fauna.
Cashew expansion comes with a human cost too. In northern Côte d’Ivoire, cashew trees have rapidly replaced the cultivation of traditional food crops such as yams and cassava, meaning farmers must buy these diet staples. A supply glut of cashew in early 2023 caused the market to crash, leaving many rural households vulnerable to food and nutritional insecurity.
Ofi, one of the largest cashew producers of cashew in the world with processing facilities in Côte d’Ivoire shared information about its cashew sustainability issue for the report.
In response to the concerns raised in the report, Ofi said:
“Given farmers’ lack of access to knowledge about good agricultural practices and the importance of biodiverse landscapes for resilient farming and food systems, it is easy to understand why the issues raised in the report might be occurring. Indeed, our Ivoirian social teams see high rates of malnutrition, with many farming households unable to access foods with the micronutrients needed for normal functioning of the immune system and optimal health, which negatively impacts productivity and earning potential. This is often combined with poor health infrastructure and access to clean water and sanitation. But there are solutions available. With training and better access to finance, farmers can improve yields and quality from the same trees.”
Mighty Earth’s Senior Director for Africa, Julian Oram said:
“Cashew farming has proved a double-edged sword for Côte d’Ivoire. On the one hand, it has provided an important source of income for communities in the north of the country. On the other, cashew farming continues to spread unchecked over the precious few remaining areas of natural vegetation, threatening dozens of iconic species struggling for survival.”
“If we continue with business-as-usual, cashew could be another nail in the coffin for dozens of iconic species, including the Western Chimpanzee, while risking food insecurity for farmers and pain and injury for workers processing cashew. We’re calling on the industry to halt further expansion to allow nature to recover.”
Processing cashews can also cause pain and injury. When roasted, cashew shells release caustic oil. Workers in processing facilities that manually remove the cashew kernel from its shell, are exposed to this caustic oil, risking burns to their skin. Due to the lack of protective equipment, workers - many of them women – carry out this work with their bare hands.
Souleymane Fofana, General Coordinator of Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH), a network of Ivorian Human Rights NGOs:
“We can’t ignore the lessons from the cocoa industry, which for years allowed rampant deforestation. The Conseil du Coton et l’anacarde (Cotton and Cashew Council) needs to work with farmers, companies and civil society to develop an action plan for sustainable cashew that protects nature and supports farmers.”
Mighty Earth and its coalition partners are calling for:
- Industry actors across the cashew supply chain to work with local farmers, civil society, and government agencies to restore cashew landscapes by investing in sustainable farming practices, reduce farmers’ dependency on cashew, and take action to protect those working in the industry.
- Companies buying and selling cashews to develop transparent, full (farm-level) traceability to understand the range of environmental and social issues present in the places where they are sourcing cashew.
- Better regulation of the industry and promotion of socially and ecologically responsible cashew supply chains.
- EU, UK, and US regulators to introduce measures that would ban the sale of cashew linked to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats in their markets.
THE CASHEW CONUNDRUM: global demand for cashews is driving nature loss and food insecurity in Côte d’Ivoire
Microsite Report (English) Report (French) Press release (English) Press release (French) Video (French)
Company statements Media coverage (English)
A new report by Mighty Earth, Regroupement des Acteurs Ivoiriens des Droits Humains (RAIDH), and Green Forest Africa reveals, for the first time, how increasing global demand for cashews has driven a rapid expansion of plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, causing nature loss and threatening food security.
The West African country is now the number one exporter of cashew in the world, earning over $961 million from cashew exports in 2021, and producing more than one million tons of cashew in 2022. Last year the global cashew market was worth $7 billion.
Côte d’Ivoire has lost as much as 90% of its forests over the past 30 years, with agriculture, largely cocoa, as the primary driver. The report warns that further nature loss from cashew expansion must be avoided.
Satellite analysis by Mighty Earth reveals that some cashew-growing regions in Côte d’Ivoire have seen as much as a 25% loss of primary forest cover between 2019 - 2023. An area nearly the size of the Hawaiian islands (1.6 million hectares) is used to cultivate cashews in Côte d’Ivoire. While providing vital income for farmers, much of this farming has taken place on forested savannah landscapes, crucial for wildlife.
The Conseil du Coton et de l'anacarde (Cotton and Cashew Council), which oversees the Ivorian cashew sector, says the industry plays a vital role in the economy of the north of the country, supporting around half a million farming households. However, the report reveals that the expansion of cashew orchards over vast areas has created “green deserts” devoid of biodiversity. When combined with heavy use of chemical pesticides, single-crop cashew ‘monocultures’ pose an existential threat to the country’s native flora and fauna.
Cashew expansion comes with a human cost too. In northern Côte d’Ivoire, cashew trees have rapidly replaced the cultivation of traditional food crops such as yams and cassava, meaning farmers must buy these diet staples. A supply glut of cashew in early 2023 caused the market to crash, leaving many rural households vulnerable to food and nutritional insecurity.
What we’re calling for:
- Industry actors across the cashew supply chain to work with local farmers, civil society, and government agencies to restore cashew landscapes by investing in sustainable farming practices, reduce farmers’ dependency on cashew, and take action to protect those working in the industry.
- Companies buying and selling cashews to develop transparent, full (farm-level) traceability to understand the range of environmental and social issues present in the places where they are sourcing cashew.
- Better regulation of the industry and promotion of socially and ecologically responsible cashew supply chains.
- EU, UK, and US regulators to introduce measures that would ban the sale of cashew linked to deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats in their markets.
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Blog: At Halloween peeking behind the mask of Starbuck’s shadowy chocolate sustainability
At Halloween peeking behind the mask of Starbuck’s shadowy chocolate sustainability
October 27, 2023
By: Julian Oram
In August 2023, Mighty Earth and its coalition partners Be Slavery Free, Freedom United, and Green America wrote a letter to the Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan, asking his company to come clean on their cocoa supply chains in West Africa. Our letter became a petition, which has since been signed by over 180,000 people, calling on Starbucks to follow through on its sustainability commitments on cocoa, and to be transparent about where exactly it sources its cocoa from. So, as we approach Halloween, what has Starbucks done to unmask its shadowy cocoa supply chains?
Shortly after we launched our campaign in July, Starbucks posted a story on its website, detailing how it’s committed to responsible sourcing for cocoa and that it will report on its progress next year. All well and good, but it made the very same commitment last year, and we’ve yet to see evidence of this translating into to real change on the ground in Cote d’Ivoire, where its sources its cocoa for its chocolate products. The reality is the company seems to have little understanding of where its cocoa comes from, or the conditions under which it was grown.
Still in the dark on sustainable cocoa
Despite repeated requests by Be Slavery Free, Freedom United, Green America, and Mighty Earth, Starbucks has failed to provide credible plans to eliminate child labor and deforestation in its cocoa supply chain, or publish a living income strategy for farmers. The average cocoa farmer earns less than $1.20 a day leaving them well below the extreme poverty line of $2.15 per person per day. While it has produced an action plan for improving its cocoa sustainability as part of its commitments under the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, it has yet to provide any information about its progress towards these commitments. Worryingly, the company still also provides no information on where, exactly, its cocoa even comes from. This renders Starbucks’ claims about sourcing sustainable cocoa meaningless.
Bumper profits
Starbucks did participate in the 2023 Chocolate Scorecard after refusing to take part the previous year, but it needs to go further, faster. Other major cocoa buyers are using traceability tools to identify and publish lists of their suppliers. It’s not as if Starbucks doesn’t have the resources. Its gross profit for the twelve months ending March 31, 2023, was $23.061B, a 6.57% increase year-over-year.
Starbucks workers unite
It’s not just cocoa farmers who are not being properly remunerated for their work. Starbucks’ workers across the United States have been joining forces and unionizing to fight for core demands, including better pay. A survey by Starbucks Workers United found that 93.2% of employees said they weren’t paid enough to support their households, while 81.7% said they were unfairly compensated for their work. Allegations of sexual and racial harassment, unfair discipline, and workplace favoritism have also been leveled by Starbucks workers. In the US, unions are actively organizing events to expose these injustices, demanding fair treatment for Starbucks employees. They’re calling on the company to agree to a national operating framework to standardize conditions across all Starbucks stores.
Starbucks masquerades as a caring company, but what lies behind the mask is much scarier. Deforestation, child labour, farmer poverty and workers’ rights are huge problems and we’ve yet to see any evidence to show that Starbucks is properly getting to grips with these issues. Starbucks needs to come out of the shadows and stop ghosting on its sustainability commitments.
Media Statement: More industry ambition needed on sustainable natural rubber after underwhelming conclusion to 15 months of negotiations
October 25, 2023
Today, members of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) voted to approve two key resolutions at the annual General Assembly. One of these motions saw companies agree to develop a system for monitoring compliance with their commitments to cut out deforestation, human rights abuses and land grabbing from their natural rubber supply chains. The other secured agreement for companies to provide greater public information about their progress towards delivering on these commitments.
Although important, the former was similar to a resolution agreeing to develop such a system agreed by the Platform 15 months ago; while the latter stopped short of promising full transparency, especially by tire manufacturers and automakers.
Mighty Earth Senior Director for Africa, Julian Oram, who was voted to serve as the new civil society representative on the Executive Committee for a period of three years, said:
“Today’s resolutions were an underwhelming conclusion to 15 months of discussions since the last General Assembly in July, 2022. We continue to see resistance by some tire manufacturers and automakers to supply chain transparency and public reporting, as well as attempts to slow down the establishment of a robust due diligence and monitoring system. Meanwhile, forests continue to fall and rubber farmers continue to experience crippling poverty, while tire companies reap record earnings.
“This week we’ve seen new scientific evidence reveal that the scale of deforestation for rubber in Southeast Asia has been far worse than previously estimated. This should serve as a stark reminder that every day is precious for the industry to collectively improve the traceability of rubber supply chains, establish a robust independent monitoring system, and provide public transparency on progress towards their commitments on sustainable natural rubber. There is also an underlying need to address the exploitative relations between those at the bottom versus those at the top of the rubber supply chain.”
“We’re grateful to our colleagues for electing Mighty Earth as one of the civil society representatives on the Executive Committee. We will use the opportunity to push for rapid progress to be made on the key issues between now and the next Extraordinary General Assembly taking place in June of 2024.”
Media Statement: Mighty Earth responds to $100 million bill for steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs to clean up air quality around Deaborn plant in Michigan
Media Statement: Mighty Earth responds to $100 million bill for steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs to clean up air quality around Deaborn plant in Michigan
October 20, 2023
Washington D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice have announced that Ohio steel manufacturer, Cleveland-Cliffs must pay over $100 million for air quality around its Deaborn plant. In a statement, the EPA acknowledged that “breathing lead and manganese pollution can cause various, negative health effects, including impacts to the central nervous system.”
Responding to the statement, Mighty Earth Senior Director, Decarbonization, Matt Groch said:
The $100 million settlement with Cleveland-Cliffs to reduce emissions from its Dearborn, Michigan facility should serve as a stark reminder to the company that the era of dirty blast furnaces is coming to an end. For too long fence line communities like Dearborn have dealt with the environmental, health, and economic fallout from dirty steel plants. While this is an important step in mitigating the harm from its Dearborn plant, Cliffs has a long way to go in addressing its larger emissions issues. Just this year, Cliffs announced plans to reline its blast furnace at Burns Harbor, IN whose continued operation would release 68 million tons of CO2 over its lifetime, the equivalent of 18 coal power plants. The future of steel is low-carbon and free of dirty coal. Hopefully, after this $100 million penalty, Cliffs gets that message.”
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Sydney Jones, Press Secretary (US-based, EST)
+1 561 809 5522
About Mighty Earth
Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect half of Earth for Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. We are obsessed with impact and aspire to be the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the world. Our team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, and cocoa, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.
Bunge: “Responsible soy” or just greenwash?
The US company, which Mighty Earth revealed was linked to recent rampant deforestation in the Cerrado, is a “platinum” sponsor of an industry event on “responsible soy.”
Mighty Earth attended the recent Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) annual conference in São Paulo, Brazil and we were baffled to see that US commodities trader Bunge was a “platinum” sponsor of the event for a second year running. Our latest report found Bunge was linked to recent soy-driven deforestation in the Cerrado, equivalent to nearly 16,000 soccer pitches.
The RTRS said Bunge’s sponsorship is part of a multistakeholder approach that strengthens the roundtable. The irony is not lost on us that Bunge, claiming to be committed to responsible soy, is the same company we found buying deforestation-linked soy from three farms in the Cerrado, Brazil’s most threatened biome and Bunge admitted it plans to continue with this business-as-usual approach until 2025.
With annual revenues of $67 billion, Bunge is the main supplier of soy animal feed to the meat industry in the European Union and is one of the traders with the greatest deforestation risk linked to soy in the Cerrado. Bunge ships vast amounts of soy to Europe to feed animals in intensive farming systems, destined for the meat aisles of major supermarkets in France, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands – for beef, poultry, pork, and dairy products.
Greenwashing its soy commitments?
One of the key criteria of the RTRS is that there should be no conversion to soy plantations of any natural land after a 3rd June 2016 cut-off date. This is a more ambitious date than the 2020 date required by the new European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Our investigation found that Bunge recently bought soy from three farms responsible for the equivalent of 15,897 soccer pitches of deforestation in the Cerrado (11,351 ha), cleared after 2021, so beyond the 2016 and 2020 cut-off dates of the RTRS and the EUDR respectively.
Bunge confirmed to Mighty Earth that it has recently sourced soy directly from some of the farms named in our investigation – although it said the deforestation was legal under Brazilian law and failed to provide any further details. Bunge also told us that it does not have a deforestation cut-off date of 2020, and so will accept legally deforested, deforestation-risk, or deforestation-linked soy in its supply chain until 2025. Ten years ago, Bunge promised to be deforestation-free by 2025, so it seems it’s business-as-usual for the next year or so, with Bunge continuing to buy soy from suppliers that are laying waste to what remains of the Cerrado. With this position, why would Bunge sponsor a “responsible soy” conference? Is it just greenwashing?
Race to clear the Cerrado
The Cerrado is disappearing twice as fast as its neighbor the Amazon, taken by the meat industry to grow soy as animal feed. Going by the conversations taking place at the RTRS meeting, other traders represented by Abiove (Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries) also share Bunge’s lack of ambition and urgency to end deforestation in the Cerrado. What they’re planning is, in fact, the opposite. While discussing the limits and opportunities of the EUDR, Abiove insisted its members can only adopt a “future cut-off date” (i.e., 2025), not a “past one”. Abiove and the traders recognized that it may trigger a “race to clear the Cerrado” before 2025 but seemed to accept this as the Cerrado’s fate. It is worth noting that the RTRS is a voluntary certification and that the EUDR doesn’t accept any voluntary certification to comply with the new law’s Due Diligence procedure.
Recent data from Brazil’s Space Research Institute (INPE) revealed that deforestation increased in the Cerrado, up by 89 percent year-on-year in September. And the environment is not the only concern. A new investigation by Friends of the Earth U.S, Action Aid USA, and Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos shows Bunge’s links to land grabbing and human rights violations in the Cerrado.
The Cerrado is home to thousands of Indigenous Peoples and to 5% of the world’s plant and animal species. Known as Brazil’s “cradle of waters” it could lose more than a third of its river flows by 2050, if soy expansion continues at current levels. We cannot sacrifice the Cerrado to support a broken food system. We need supermarkets to cut ties with bad actors like Bunge, who far from sourcing “responsible soy” are, in fact, driving an ecosystem to the brink of collapse, by supporting irresponsible and destructive practices. We cannot allow this to happen. We need the Cerrado as much as the Amazon to tackle the climate crisis. In the meantime, the RTRS needs to think carefully about Bunge’s sponsorship of its “Responsible Soy” conferences.
Blog: Mighty Earth Publishes Report on Dangers of Petcoke in Aluminum Production
By Matthew Groch, Senior Director of Heavy Industry
“Dust is everywhere, and we’ve had more childhood asthma and adult bronchitis in this area than we did in the past.”
- Resident in Louisiana living near piles of petcoke
Petroleum coke, more commonly known as petcoke, is essential in the production of aluminum, at least according to companies reliant on antiquated coal-powered technologies. In reality, this is far from the truth. Technology now exists to remove petcoke from aluminum production using inert anode technology. Combined with the use of hydropower and investment into greener electric grids, aluminum production can be made completely without petcoke and greenhouse gas emissions.
Petcoke is a byproduct of the oil refining process, often produced when bitumen from tar sands is refined into crude oil. When low-grade petcoke is burned, it can be more environmentally detrimental than coal, negatively impacting local air quality by releasing typical pollutants. This could lead to pulmonary inflammation, increasing the risk for cancer and other debilitations. Even worse, petcoke is often found near poorer communities, where residents have few resources to move or even obtain healthcare.
The E+ Group: Inert Anode: Committed to Low Carbon Future. July, 2021 Link
In Port Arthur, Texas, the Environmental Protection Agency stated that a large facility produced “anode and industrial calcined petroleum coke and is one of the highest emitters of sulfur dioxide (“SO2”) in Texas…West Port Arthur is a low-income, minority neighborhood which has long been subject to high levels of air pollution from nearby major industrial facilities.”
Residents living in Chicago, Illinois faced a similar battle several years ago when piles of petcoke near Chicago’s Calumet River would darken when it was windy. At a government meeting, local residents stated that the petcoke dust “collects on homes and cars. It prevents people from being able to enjoy outdoor spaces. It impedes economic development. It doesn’t bring in jobs. It precludes other industries and nice things like shops and cafés from moving into the Southeast Side.” And now, U.S. companies are exporting large quantities of petcoke dust to China, hoping to profit while Chinese aluminum producers pollute their local and neighboring communities.
Fortunately, aluminum can be produced with new technology, like inert anode technology, that removes the use of petcoke in aluminum production. Some companies have already adopted the new technology, and it is expected to be more commercially available by 2024.
Read our recent report here: [link]
Scandal: How Cargill sank the COP27 deal to end soy-driven deforestation
Explosive new report from Mighty Earth reveals for the first time how Cargill sabotaged the world’s biggest breakthrough on forests
Update on Cargill action. Letter to CEO Brian Sikes.
Link to the report Media coverage
An explosive new report by Mighty Earth reveals for the first time how the US agribusiness giant Cargill sank a year-long drive by industry and governments for a global deal at COP27 to end all deforestation and ecosystem destruction linked to soy production.
The revelation comes as deforestation recently surged to record levels in the threatened Cerrado savannah in Brazil, largely driven by the expansion of soy grown for animal feed.
A four-month investigation by Mighty Earth, involving multiple interviews with some of the key participants closest to the negotiations, found that while Cargill publicly claimed to be committed to ending deforestation in its soy supply chains, behind-the-scenes, Cargill lobbied and manoeuvred to block an ambitious Agriculture Sector Roadmap to 1.5°C announced at COP27 to immediately ban and end all soy-driven deforestation and ecosystem destruction.
Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz said:
“Mighty Earth found that fourteen of the world's biggest agribusinesses were set to agree a global deal ending deforestation and nature destruction linked to soy in the run up to COP27 in Egypt, but they were blocked by stubborn opposition from Cargill, which threw its considerable weight around, and ensured that the deal collapsed. You simply wouldn’t see the forests and biomes of South America bulldozed at the same alarming scale and pace if Cargill hadn’t sabotaged the world’s biggest breakthrough on forests.”
Report key findings:
- Senior officials say Cargill blocked a global deal to end deforestation and ecosystem destruction for soy in year-long talks in the run up to COP27, and heaped pressure on other companies that had promised to end ecosystem destruction by 2025 to backtrack.
- An official associated with Cargill claimed that although soy-related conversation in Brazil was the number one issue for Cargill internally, the company put money, trading revenues and executive bonuses first in its efforts to sink an ambitious deforestation deal on soy at COP27.
- Documents released under EU Access to Data laws show Cargill’s key soy trade associations privately lobbied senior European Commission climate change officials and brazenly denied that soy expansion was a driver of deforestation in Brazil.
Crucial talks ahead of COP27
As the world came together for the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt last November, hopes were high that fourteen of the world’s largest commodity traders and agribusinesses would announce an end to all soy-driven deforestation and agree on an immediate ban and a zero-deforestation cut-off date of 2020. This would have prohibited the sale of all soy products linked to both legal and illegal deforestation and conversion after 2020.
The deal was crucial given the scale of soy-driven deforestation, particularly in the vast and threatened Cerrado savannah in Brazil, which has lost half of its surface area largely due to soy expansion to feed livestock in intensive farming systems.
The push for a deal had momentum. Major agribusinesses Amaggi and Louis Dreyfus Company were committed to the initiative and the US and UK Governments were shouldering an effort to secure a Paris Agreement-aligned Agriculture Sector Roadmap to 1.5 °C, in time for the COP27 conference wrap. But while decent progress and deforestation commitments were made by the cattle and palm oil sectors, the final Soy Implementation Plan in the Roadmap fell woefully short, failing to agree a target date to immediately ban and end soy-driven deforestation and ecosystem destruction.
Lord Goldsmith, the former UK Minister for International Environment and Climate, who was closely involved in the Roadmap negotiations said to Mighty Earth:
“There are plenty of companies and countries that have managed to break the link between environmental degradation and agricultural commodities, which are the biggest cause. So, it would be unforgivable for a giant company like Cargill to claim publicly to be transforming its supply chain, while at the same time resisting efforts to agree an end to soy-related habitat conversion in the run up to COP27.”
Cargill: Still ‘The Worst Company in the World’
In an earlier report Mighty Earth called Cargill “The Worst Company in the World” for its appalling track record on deforestation, environmental and human rights issues. In April 2023, a follow-up Mighty Earth investigation found Cargill bought soy from farms linked to hundreds of hectares of illegal Amazon deforestation. With the world experiencing its hottest year and to stand any chance of limiting global heating to within 1.5°C, it’s urgently time for Cargill to accept that business-as-usual is no longer a viable option and to commit to end all soy-driven deforestation immediately.
Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz added:
“A single company shouldn’t be in the position of deciding the fate of the world’s tropical forests and key ecosystems and biomes. Cargill must put profits and bonuses aside and grasp the urgency of the global climate emergency and work constructively with governments, peers and civil society to return with an updated global plan to ban all soy-related deforestation and nature destruction at the forthcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai in late November.”
Why the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) should include an additional billion hectares of ‘Other Wooded Land'
Global CSO coalition urges the European Commission to add 'Other wooded land' to the EUDR to protect nearly a billion hectares of vulnerable ecosystems from destruction.
A global coalition of more than 60 civil society organizations, from Brazil to Indonesia and Ethiopia, has called on the European Commission to include nearly a billion additional hectares of threatened wooded landscapes in the EU's flagship zero-deforestation regulation.
Groups including the ISPN network in Brazil, Satya Bumi in Indonesia, WWF, Mighty Earth, and Rainforest Foundation Norway are urging the European Commission to close a major loophole in the new EU Deforestation Regulation (known as the EUDR), which allows the continued destruction of precious wooded ecosystems currently unprotected by the new legislation – such as the highly threatened Cerrado savannah in Brazil. Soy-driven deforestation in the Cerrado recently hit record levels. The coalition warns that leaving climate-critical biomes like the Cerrado, the Chaco, and the Pantanal out of the EUDR would accelerate their destruction.
Based on the latest FAO figures, the global coalition highlight in a new report that a vast and estimated 977 million hectares of landscapes and ecosystems known as 'Other wooded land' (OWL) - about a quarter of the size of the world's forests - are highly vulnerable to deforestation and destruction for commodity-driven expansion and is calling on a forthcoming official Review of the EUDR to ensure that the law is expanded to include 'Other wooded land' at the earliest opportunity.
The new report highlights that most of these ecosystems and biomes known as 'Other wooded lands' are found in Africa (some 446 million hectares), with 190 million hectares in Asia and 147 million hectares in South America.
The groundbreaking EUDR – which entered into force in June – bans the import into the European Union of seven key commodities - including beef, soy, cocoa, rubber and palm oil - if they are linked to deforestation or forest degradation. The law becomes operational at the end of 2024.
"The EUDR is a groundbreaking new zero-deforestation law, but its scope urgently needs to be expanded to include almost an extra billion hectares of 'Other Wooded Lands' like the Cerrado in Brazil, which is currently being ravaged by soy and cattle-driven deforestation and destruction," says Alex Wijeratna, Senior director from Mighty Earth. "We urgently need to protect the Cerrado and the Pantanaal as much as the Amazon rainforest to help address the climate and nature emergency."
"For us Indigenous peoples, no biome is less valuable than others, they are all equally important," says Dinamam Tuxá, Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, APIB. "We, Indigenous peoples, live in all the biomes, not only in the Amazon rainforest. So it's important that the European zero-deforestation legislation takes into account the protection of all of our territories."
While Brazil has managed to bring down spiralling deforestation rates in the Amazon rainforest in the first half of this year, the neighbouring Cerrado savannah has seen record levels of environmental destruction during the same period, reaching 709 Km2 in April 2023. This is its highest deforestation figure since 2018, according to official data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
According to research highlighted by the report authors Mighty Earth, Rainforest Foundation Norway, Madre Brava, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Ecologistas en Acción, and Forests of the World, and endorsed by over 60 organizations, adding 'Other wooded land' to the EUDR would protect an extra 59.7 million hectares of the Cerrado, an extra 8.7 million hectares in the Chaco, and an extra 2.2 million hectares in the Pantanal ecosystems. As it is highly likely that expanding the scope of the EUDR law would have the same effect in other regions such as Africa and Asia, the coalition claims this is an essential step the EU needs to take to combat climate change and loss of global biodiversity.
Brazilian meat giant JBS’ plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange could be biggest climate risk IPO in history
Mighty Earth letter to SEC on JBS IPO Briefing for Investors Media coverage
Mighty Earth lodges submission with US Securities and Exchange Commission contesting JBS plan to dual list and joins forces with civil society groups to issue warning to over 200 investors raising governance and climate concerns.
(Washington, DC) Mighty Earth has lodged a submission against JBS with the powerful US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), over the Brazilian meat giant’s plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) by the end of the year. The proposed restructure, ahead of the listing, could see the founding Batista family acquire up to 90% of the shareholder voting power and it could be the biggest climate risk IPO listing in history.
Mighty Earth has written to the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance contesting the validity of the information JBS has provided in the Initial Public Offering (IPO) prospectus, which it says underestimates the company’s climate impact and misleads both the SEC and potential investors.
Mighty Earth is calling for JBS’ IPO to be scrutinized and at minimum postponed until a decision is reached by the SEC on Mighty Earth’s existing whistleblower complaint, the results of which could include a formal investigation and enforcement action. Any sanctions by the SEC could have a significant impact on the IPO process and the financial outlook of the company, leaving US investors open to risk.
The active whistleblower complaint referenced above targets JBS’ so-called “green” Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs). The initial complaint was submitted by senior executives of Mighty Earth on 18 January this year and was supplemented on 11 August with additional factual developments concerning JBS’ alleged unlawful conduct.
Glenn Hurowitz, CEO of Mighty Earth said:
“This is probably the single most important IPO for the climate in history. There are profound implications for the planet if JBS, the world's worst Amazon deforester, is given the go ahead to seek billions of dollars from Wall Street to continue tearing down rainforest, polluting on a vast scale, and driving land-grabbing.”
“Concentrating 90% of voting power in the hands of the Batista brothers, Joesley and Wesley, both acknowledged criminals, restricts the ability of outside investors to push JBS to end deforestation or deal with its outsized emissions.”
“That’s why we’re urging the SEC to fully investigate the claims made in the IPO prospectus, and to pause the IPO until the investigation into our existing whistleblower complaint is resolved.”
Background
Mighty Earth filed a whistleblower complaint to the SEC in January calling for a full investigation into alleged misleading and fraudulent “green bonds” issued by JBS. Evidence in that submission detailed how JBS issued $3.2 billion in four separate debt issuances or “green bonds” in 2021, referring to them as Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs), tied to its stated goal to cut its emissions and achieve “Net Zero by 2040.” 1
The complaint centred on the fact that JBS based the bond offerings on its commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 – but that its emissions have in fact increased in recent years and it excluded ‘Scope 3’ supply chain emissions that comprise upwards of 90% of its climate footprint. It also omitted key information from investors about the actual number of animals it slaughters each year, denying US investors vital information to make fully informed decisions about JBS’ net zero and climate-related claims as they decided whether to purchase these SLBs.
In 2017, members of the Batista family were involved in Brazil’s biggest high-level corruption scandal, signing a $3.16 billion plea deal. The fall-out from the scandal is estimated to have wiped 9% from the Brazilian stock exchange.
Key concerns of JBS IPO prospectus:
- Aims to restructure the business via the NYSE listing which would disadvantage its minority shareholders, giving increased shareholder voting power to the JBS founders, the Batista family, of between 85% and 90.5%.
- Offers shareholders a cash dividend payout of R$1 (Brazilian Real) per share, expected to total R$2.2 billion (US$437 million) to agree the deal.
- Includes misleading statements in the filing prospectus regarding JBS’ negative climate impacts, significantly with no mention of its methane emissions which compare to an estimated 55% of US livestock methane emissions.
- Underestimates the impact of climate change on future trading and fails to acknowledge the risks to global food production from climate change.
- Misleads by claiming to be committed to a “deforestation-free supply chain in Brazil,” when a 2022 audit revealed more than one in six cattle in Brazil - almost 94,000 – did not meet legal requirements, including links to deforestation in its supply chains.
- Plays down its role as one of the world’s worst forest destroyers, while estimates put JBS’ true deforestation footprint as high as 1.7 million hectares in its direct and indirect supply chains in Brazil.
- Shifts geographies across multiple jurisdictions by creating a new entity in the Netherlands, JBS NV, then onto the NYSE, creating risk for shareholders in exercising their rights to hold the company accountable.
Gemma Hoskins, Senior Director at Mighty Earth said:
“The IPO prospectus has serious omissions, misleading statements and frankly more greenwash, designed to present JBS as a winning proposition for the New York Stock Exchange, when nothing could be further from the truth.”
“JBS wants to list with all the benefits of a public listing while for all extents and purposes continuing to operate like a private company and avoiding US regulatory scrutiny by basing the company in the Netherlands.”
“It disadvantages other shareholders while giving unprecedented control to the Batista brothers, who have pleaded guilty to criminal acts. All this while JBS reports major losses. How can this be an appealing proposition for investors?”
Kevin Galbraith, US securities attorney for Mighty Earth, said:
“We urge the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance not to give JBS the green light on its plans to move forward with the IPO without first considering the existing submission which is with the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. In that complaint we demonstrated how JBS accessed U.S. capital markets to raise billions from unsuspecting investors, including asset managers who had signed on to a pledge to avoid issuers whose conduct fuels climate change. We believe that evidence alongside our recent analysis of the IPO prospectus shows that JBS is once again hell bent on harming US investors and misleading markets.”
Open letter : Leading scientists, international NGOs and Scottish environmental groups urge ministers to act to save world’s rarest great ape
PRESS RELEASE SIGN THE PETITION
12 September 2023
Humza Yousaf MSP
Lorna Slater MSP
CC: Nancy Zhang, CCO Red Rock Power Limited
CC: Zhu Jiwei, Chairman SDIC Power Holdings
Dear Humza Yousaf MSP and Lorna Slater MSP,
We are writing as a group of Scottish, Indonesian and International NGOs and scientists concerning Scotland's connection to the issue of the Batang Toru dam in Indonesia.
In 2017, scientists stunned the world by announcing the discovery of a new species of great ape: the Tapanuli orangutan in the Batang Toru ecosystem in North Sumatra. Numbering fewer than 800, the Tapanuli orangutan is the world’s rarest species of great ape, threatened by a hydroelectric dam project that will slice through their habitat pushing the species closer to extinction.1 Construction has led to the death of more than 17 workers and local people.2 It threatens the unique biodiversity of the region - which is susceptible to landslides and earthquakes - and the lives and livelihoods of those that depend on it.
The Batang Toru hydrodam is being built by the Chinese State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC Power), whose wholly owned subsidiary, Red Rock Power, is a major player in the Scottish renewable energy industry. Based in Edinburgh, they hold large stakes in the Beatrice, Benbrack and Inch Cape wind farms and were welcomed to Scotland personally by the former First Minister in 2016,3 unsuccessfully lobbying to reduce seabed rents in 2021.4
This issue has gained considerable international support, most recently at COP15.5 It has also been raised in the Scottish Parliament6 and press.7 Petitions have garnered over 8000 signatures in the UK calling on Red Rock Power and the First Minister to take action. Recent reporting in Indonesia has brought to light poor planning and financial mismanagement, whilst overinflated prices for generation indicate possible corruption.8 Locals continue to raise fears over the impact on their communities.9
There is a clear pattern of intimidation against those who challenge this project in Indonesia,10 including the death of WALHI lawyer Golfrid Siregar under suspicious circumstances.11 Most recently, a violent disruption at a public discussion on the issue has been condemned by free speech and press rights groups.12
Following the trail of profits from Scottish renewable wealth to a project mired in controversy - potential ecocide and human rights abuses - undermines both Scotland’s just transition commitments, and its position as a global leader on the protection of biodiversity through the Edinburgh Declaration.
We ask that you formally raise this issue with SDIC and Red Rock Power, and call for a meeting between the dam developers and independent scientists. SDIC must respect the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) moratorium on construction and commit to a public, independent impact assessment of the project as well as a long-term conservation management plan for the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan and the Batang Toru ecosystem.
We would be pleased to meet with you to share more information about these issues and opportunities for action.
Kind regards,
Satya Bumi
Trend Asia
WALHI Eksekutif Nasional
WALHI Sumatera Utara
Caritas Indonesia
AURIGA Nusantara
Perkumpulan HuMa
Green Justice Indonesia
The Society of Indonesian Environmental Journalists
Pusaka Bentala Rakyat
Caritas Archdiocese of Medan
Caritas Diocese of Sibolga
Scotland's International Development Alliance
Global Justice Now Scotland
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Extinction Rebellion Scotland
Eco-Congregation Scotland
Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund
Primate Society of Great Britain
Orangutan Outreach
Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers
Mighty Earth
Erik Meijaard: Borneo Futures
William F. Laurance: Distinguished Professor & Australian Laureate, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University
Serge Wich: Liverpool John Moores University
Ian Redmond OBE: Chairman, Ape Alliance and Head of Conservation, Ecoflix
References
- “Hydropower project ‘imperils world’s rarest great ape species’,” Changing Times, 28 February, 2020.
- “Tunnel collapse at dam project in orangutan habitat claims yet another life,” Mongabay, 21 November, 2022.
- “First Minister welcomes SDIC to Scotland,” Scottish Government, 15 November, 2016.
- “Chinese state-owned firm lobbied government to reduce wind farm rents,” The Ferret, 29 April 2022.
- “Chinese state-owned company accused of endangering rare orang-utans,” Financial Times, 19 June, 2022.
- “Question reference: S6W-13359,” Scottish Parliament, 11 January, 2023.
- “Nicola Sturgeon: Plea for First Minister to step in to help save world's rarest great ape from Chinese dam project,” The Scotsman, 14 December, 2022.
- “Poor planning causes PLN to pay more for Batang Toru hydropower plant,” Jakarta Post, 21 February, 2023.
- “Batang Toru power plant project hits snag as orangutan conflict worsens,” Jakarta Post, 23 February, 2023.
- “Tapanuli orangutans. Chronology of a death foretold,” El Diaro, November 17, 2021.
- “Indonesia urged to probe death of Belt and Road project critic,” Financial Times, 31 October, 2019.
- “Satya Bumi Public Environmental Discussion Hampered by Infiltrator,” Tempo, 9 March, 2023.
Leading scientists, international NGOs and Scottish environmental groups urge ministers to act to save world’s rarest great ape
A global coalition led by Mighty Earth has sent an open letter to the Scottish Government calling for a dam project in Indonesia to be halted to protect the Tapanuli orangutan
Mighty Earth and more than 20 Indonesian, Scottish and international NGOs are today calling on the Scottish Government to convene a meeting between conservationists and SDIC, the Chinese corporation currently building the controversial Batang Toru dam in northern Sumatra. SDIC Power owns and operates windfarms in Scotland through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Red Rock Power. The construction of the dam threatens the habitat and survival of the critically endangered Tapanuli orangutan, the world’s rarest ape, only discovered in 2017 and numbering fewer than 800.
An open letter, sent to the Scottish Government today, led by Mighty Earth, and signed by NGOs from Indonesia, Scotland and beyond, plus leading orangutan conservation experts, calls for a moratorium on construction of the project. The same richly diverse ecosystem it puts at risk is also home to other threatened primates, as well as critically endangered and vulnerable species like the Sumatran tiger, pangolins, tapirs and sun bears.
The letter also outlines the intimidation tactics used against those in Indonesia who oppose the project – one environmental lawyer has died under suspicious circumstances [3], while a public discussion about the project was violently disrupted. Copies have been sent to Lorna Slater MSP, whose portfolio includes biodiversity, and to the Chinese developers plus its Edinburgh-based subsidiary.
Amanda Horowitz, Senior Director at Mighty Earth, said:
“The Tapanuli orangutan’s home in the forests of Batang Toru in Sumatra is being destroyed by the construction of a wholly unnecessary and toxic dam project, which has also proved to be a danger to the local community and to workers. Calls for action are coming from across the globe and unlikely as it may seem, the Scottish Government is well placed to do its bit and convene a meeting as soon as possible between the developers and international conservation scientists. The threat is urgent and there is no time to lose if we’re to save a species, some of our closest relatives, from being wiped off the face of the Earth.”
Monica Lennon MSP, who has taken an interest in this issue, said:
“Scotland is a key player in international development and this is a test case for our role on the global stage. Does this country champion biodiversity, environmental rights and workers’ safety, as we would like to think? Scottish Ministers may not be able stop this project outright, but the fact that the dam‘s developers operate in Scotland gives us a rare opportunity to use a little “soft power” in defence of workers’ rights, stopping ecocide and the survival of the world’s most endangered great ape.”
Andi Muttaqien, of Indonesian NGO Satya Bumi, said:
“Who benefits from the Batang Toru dam? Clearly not the Tapanuli orangutan, whose habitat is under threat. Not the local communities, who were promised employment and a reasonable price for their farmland, promises that have not been kept. Instead they are threatened by earthquakes on the Sumatran Fault, and by deadly mudslides that have already claimed the lives of locals and workers. The dam’s electricity might have been needed in 2015, but now, 8 years into construction, there is oversupply in the region, with the electricity slated to be sold at an overinflated price. At the same time, public debate and campaigning on these issues is hindered here in Indonesia.”
Serge Wich, Professor of Primate Biology at Liverpool John Moores University, said:
“The Tapanuli orangutan was only identified in 2017, but it has been estimated that the population has already halved since the 1980s. Now, there are fewer than 800 left and that is an estimate from more than 10 years ago so numbers are likely lower now due to the development of the hydro power dam and other activities in the area. If the adult population decreases by more than 1% per year—that’s fewer than 8 individuals—the genetic diversity could decline to the point of no return. So we really need to halt any development in the area to avoid further losses.”
Call for Tesco to be investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority over sale of banned Brazilian meat and greenwashing claims
Mighty Earth alerts the UK government’s corporate watchdog alleging Tesco made misleading climate claims in violation of the CMA’s Green Claims Code
(London, UK), Mighty Earth is calling on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate Tesco for selling Brazilian beef and chicken products it previously claimed it had banned and for making misleading climate statements in violation of the CMA’s Green Claims Code, which sets the standard to ensure businesses’ environmental claims are not misleading or 'greenwashing.'
Mighty Earth has written to the CMA alleging that Tesco continues to stock Brazilian beef and chicken products, despite Tesco’s announcement it was banning all Brazilian meat in August 2020, due to links to Amazon deforestation. Yet two years on, Mighty Earth has found the retailer continues to stock the Brazilian meat products it “banned” on its shelves including Princes corned beef, clearly marked as Brazilian beef. Chicken products shipped from Brazil and sold by Tesco include Bridge Valley chicken tikka pieces. Mighty Earth alleges Tesco makes false claims regarding ‘the total life cycle of a product or service’ and may be in breach of consumer protection law.
Mighty Earth is calling on the CMA to further investigate a wider range of chicken products from Tesco supplier, Westbridge Foods Ltd, who Mighty Earth found shipped hundreds of tonnes of Brazilian chicken to the UK for use in ready meals.
The complaint also raises questions about a £10 million investment Tesco publicly claims to have made to a project called “Funding for Soy Farmers in the Cerrado.” This fund was established in response to public concern about deforestation linked to the meat and soy industry in the Cerrado savannah, the most threatened biome in Brazil. Around half of the Cerrado has been lost to the meat industry to grow soy to feed animals in intensive farming systems. However, Tesco’s £10 million investment was never made to the fund.
Mighty Earth insists Tesco’s 2050 Net Zero claims and its 2025 no deforestation and conversion target date are unachievable while it continues to source soy from US commodities giant and known forest destroyer, Cargill, whose 2030 date to end deforestation is five years behind that of Tesco. A recent Mighty Earth investigation found Tesco chicken and pork products were linked to 625 hectares of Amazon deforestation in Cargill’s soy supply chain. Cargill has suspended this farm but has failed to take any remedial action and Tesco have refused to cut ties with Cargill.
Gemma Hoskins, UK Senior Director at Mighty Earth, said:
“Our complaint to the CMA highlights that Tesco is misleading the public on its climate credentials and it is still selling Brazilian meat products to unsuspecting customers, despite announcing a ban in 2020 due to deforestation concerns.”
“How can customers have any confidence in Tesco’s claims that it’s a “climate leader” when its shelves are still stocked with products that are driving the destruction of nature in the Amazon and its neighbour, the Cerrado. And what happened to the £10 million that Tesco claimed it was giving to help protect the Cerrado from further soy expansion?”
“We urge the CMA to take a close look at what Tesco says it’s doing and what it is actually doing, which in reality appears to be nothing more than greenwashing.”
Tell Starbucks to come clean on cocoa
Starbucks claims to source its cocoa responsibly. But when it comes to paying cocoa farmers a living income, addressing child labor, or protecting forests, Starbucks is evading accountability and hiding behind grand claims it cannot substantiate.
A global civil society coalition of Be Slavery Free, Freedom United, Green America, and Mighty Earth has launched a new campaign, including a public petition calling for Starbucks to come clean about where it sources the cocoa for its chocolate products.
Take action to make Starbucks clean up its cocoa supply chains.