Cadbury, One Cause of Orangutans Diminishing

Why it matters:

Cadbury (yes, the juicy easter egg company) took the first step to eliminate palm kernel oil from their candy because it’s production is leading us to reduced biodiversity, massive deforestation, and fewer cuddly orangutans — because there’s already enough guilt in eating too much candy.

Recap:

According to everyone’s favorite daily from down under, the New Zealand Herald (sorry Perth Trumpeter), Cadbury New Zealand will no longer be using palm oil in its candies produced in New Zealand.

The company recently introduced the ingredient as a cost-cutting measure, and Kiwis made themselves heard. While the taste of the confections was a concern for some, the biggest issue was the source of the oil itself.

Despite a Cadbury pledge to sustainably source half of their ingredients by the end of the decade, customers demanded the old recipe be restored and the company listened.

Commentary:

Cadbury. Hah! We know what those dastardly goons were up to in the 80s… Creating bunnies that clucked like chickens! Deranged.

Once thought of as a possible source for biofuel, and a major source of income for several countries in the South Pacific and Africa, palm oil has come under scrutiny. In order to meet growing demand from western countries, producers began leveling rain forests and draining and burning peatland, and Indonesia quickly became the world’s number three carbon-emitter as a result.

Perhaps the biggest victim, especially on the island nation of Borneo, is the orangutan. Despite their immense strength (as in bone-crushing) and their talents for running madcapped, tiki-themed bars for fly-boys (maybe that was just the one on “Tail Spin”), these apes are actually rather particular. And their habitat is quickly being eviscerated in the name of margarine.

If only more companies like Cadbury would get the hint. In addition to making the palm oil switch, the company also shrunk some of their candies as part of the cost-saving move. But the Kiwis made themselves abundantly clear, “Saving a nickel (or whatever zany currency New Zealanders use) isn’t worth destroying rainforests and orangutan habitat.” This just in, New Zealand doesn’t even have a nickel… Outrageous!

Much like the campaign Greenpeace launched last year to end Dove’s use of Palm Oil in their soap products (see the amazing video on the right), Cadbury felt the public pressure and has begun to change their ways (Dove publicly announced an end to palm oil in their products the day after this video was released!). The problem is that Cadbury only stopped use of palm at the New Zealand factory, not worldwide.

But we can save our wildly interesting conversation about New Zealand’s currency for another day. The point is, a million voices in unison cannot be ignored… Even if they’re speaking New Zealanderean.

For those of you who speak English…

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