LETTER FROM GREENPEACE

Hi there,

Guess what? Nestlé has only gone and agreed to our campaign demands! And it's your emails, phone calls, video views, donations and Facebook messages which have made this massive victory possible. We really couldn't have done it without you.

Greenpeace campaigners have met several times with Nestlé executives to discuss the problems in sourcing their palm oil and paper products and things were certainly moving forward. But we didn't expect them to come up with such a comprehensive 'zero deforestation' policy so quickly.

Just this morning, Nestlé announced a plan which will identify and remove any companies in their supply chain with links to deforestation, including the infamous Sinar Mas. This plan still needs to be followed up with action, and the Forest Trust - an independent organisation we've worked with before - will be closely monitoring Nestlé's progress.

But as many of you have pointed out, Nestlé is not the only company involved in the palm oil industry and while this is a fantastic result, there's still a lot more to do before the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests is brought to a halt. So let's get started right away.

HSBC may not be a company that uses palm oil directly but by investing in Sinar Mas it's funding deforestation. The bank claims to be concerned about our planet, but its investment decisions paint an altogether different picture. HSBC bosses need to know the devastating effect their investments are having, and they can't bank on a return from deforestation and driving orang-utans to extinction.

Email Michael Geoghegan, HSBC's CEO, now – you made Nestlé take action, let's make HSBC listen as well.
Thanks for again for your support,
Jamie Woolley17 May 2010