Rang-tan: the story of dirty palm oil
Greenpeace's animated short film tells an emotional story of an orangutan called Rang-tan who shows up in a little girl’s bedroom after escaping destruction of its rainforest home. Narrated by Emma Thompson, it is part of a global campaign calling on major brands such as Unilever and Mondelez to keep a promise they made ten years ago to remove dirty palm oil from their supply chains by 2020. Sign the petition asking that they follow through on their commitment. Choose palm oil free products. See more at Shop Ethical! Palm oil.
Need for good seeds
Over 39,000 people have signed a petition objecting to the proposed compulsory fungicide treatment on particular vegetable seeds entering Australia. Australia is almost totally reliant on imported vegetable seeds. Organic farmers reacted with alarm as the treatment could spell the loss of accreditation for organic vegetable growers who rely on imported seed. Find out more about the global corporate monopoly on seeds and where to buy Australian organic seeds. Spring is upon us - time to get planting!
Viscose - Dirty fashion
Viscose, known as rayon in the U.S., is a man-made fibre created from cellulose chemically extracted from trees. It's a little weaker in strength than cotton, and thus is often used to make delicate, lighter clothing. Its production is contributing to the rapid depletion of the world’s forests, which are being cleared to make way for pulpwood plantations. The Changing Markets Foundation released an update to its Dirty Fashion report, which ranks retailers and fashion brands on their use of the viscose textile fibre. See the news video and sign the petition.
Family-friendly Chocolate Box
Despite programs to support cocoa farms in West Africa, farmers remain in extreme poverty. Poverty is the greatest driver of human trafficking and child labour. Approximately $15 (AUS) a day is needed to have a living income in the area, however some cocoa growers in Cote d’Ivoire earn as little as $1.26 (AUS). Stop the Traffik's Chocolate Box scorecard asks what the six big chocolate companies are doing about this and compares progress in 10 key areas. See their A Matter of Taste report. Explore ways to take action at Shop Ethical! Chocolate.
Japan, still fighting for whaling
The International Whaling Commission met this month in Brazil. Japan is moving to upend a decades-long moratorium on commercial whaling. Former Greens leader Bob Brown berated the Australian government for failing to have senior ministerial representation at the meeting. “World public opinion, not just here in Australia, opposes this bloody and illegal slaughter by the Japanese whalers. This year Japan harpooned 333 minke whales, one third of which were pregnant." Sign the AMCS petition. See footage of the Southern Ocean Ambush (2014), when the Sea Shepherd ship was attacked by the Japanese Whaling Fleet after 8 days of no poaching.
Quick Bites
The new Australasian Recycling Label shows the parts of the packaging that are recyclable and those for landfill. It is part of efforts to meet Australia’s 2025 target to ensure 100 per cent of all packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable.
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ABC news
Collingwood Football team just recently, after months of community pressure, announced that it was pulling out of pokies. Sign the petition to encourage Richmond, who own 97 pokies which bring in over $5m a year, to get out too.
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Sum of Us
The UN's "Single-Use Plastics" report shows the extent of the plastic pollution crisis: Only 9 percent of all plastics ever produced have been recycled. It found that more than 60 countries have introduced bans or levies on single-use plastics.
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UNEP
A Modern Slavery Bill is presently in the Australian Parliament. What are each of the political parties saying about the proposed bill? What amendments to the Bill are the Labor Party, Greens and cross benchers in the Senate asking for?
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Stop the Traffik
In Australia, between 2014 and 2016, the number of food products launched carrying a vegan claim rose by 92%. World Vegan Day is being celebrated in Melbourne on Sunday 14th October at the Melbourne Show Grounds. It's a Free event!
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World Vegan Day
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