Orangutan habitat is rapidly disappearing because of the spread of plantations devoted to producing palm oil - a cheap ingredient found in hundreds of products sold in British supermarkets.

Our weekly shop in the West is having a catastrophic impact on two of the world's most fascinating species. Orangutans are endangered species, Sumatran Orangutans critically so. Some conservationists fear that if their decline continues unchecked they could be all but extinct within 12 years. 

We encourage consumers to support companies that have made commitments to use responsible palm oil, produced without harming the environment or local communities. Ape Alliance as part of a coalition of organisations including the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS), Elephant Family, Orangutan Foundation, Save the Rhino, the Jane Goodall Institute and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) have produced a comprehensive factsheet to help consumers make informed choices, available online from Palm Oil Factsheet for Consumers

Check out the video evidence at www.films4.org/palmoil

To find out more about what you can do, contact one of the members involved.

Urge your MP or MEP to get involved

To send a message to your MP or MEP, copy and paste the text from the pdf file below to your MP by typing your postcode into the box at www.theyworkforyou.com and clicking on 'send a message to...' then paste the text and add any personal details as you wish.

• *NEW* November 2016 Palm Oil Paradox: Sustainable Solutions to Save the Great Apes Download the Report  Including contributions from Ape Alliance Chairman Ian Redmond OBE and Ape Alliance members
• Synchronicity Earth May 10, 2011
  A meeting of NGOs active in the palm oil sector
  Download Summary Report (Adobe PDF file, 451Kb)
• Clear Labels, Not Forests Palm Oil Press Release 14th March 2011
  Download Press Release (Adobe PDF file, 19Kb)
• Oil for Ape Scandal 2005 report.
  Friends of the Earth and Ape Alliance launched a report on the far-reaching impacts of the palm oil industry in 2005. The report called "The oil for ape scandal" links the demand for palm oil to the impending extinction of the orang-utan.
  • Summary version (Adobe PDF file)
• Full version (Adobe PDF file)
• Biofuels Postcard
  Download the Biofuels postcard (PDF File - 40Kb)