Unilever’s AGM to become climate battleground this week
In the latest warning to organisations about supply chains, the multinational consumer goods conglomerate can expect Indonesian visitors looking for justice following alleged palm oil land grabs while profit projections are discussed.
A group of people living in the Central Sulawesi region of Indonesia have travelled to the UK ahead of the corporate gathering, which takes place at the Hilton London Bankside on Wednesday 1st May at 11.30AM.
The party claim their lives have been disrupted and upended thanks to the actions of Astra Agro Lestari [AAL]. The country’s second largest producer of palm oil supplies produce to Unilever, and reportedly used a subsidiary organisation to displace residents by force in 2005, with assistance from corporate security and local police. Further intimidations, threats and infringements have taken place regularly since. The company was also found to have falsely claimed it was working with environmental organisations to investigate accusations.
A #PalmOil company in Indonesia has inflicted numerous human rights violations and rampaged forests.
The company claimed it was working with us and our partners in Indonesia (@walhinasional) to properly investigate. That is false.https://t.co/kKfypdwdGP
— Friends of the Earth (Action) (@foe_us) May 26, 2023
The firm responsible, AAL, has been linked to a number of other human rights violations in the region, along with what amounts to ecocide under recently developed definitions. Illegal deforestation, water, air and soil pollution are all believed to have occurred. Following a 2022 report into the company’s behaviour a number of major customers stopped orders, including Hershey’s, PepsiCo and Nestlé. This month, Kellogg’s also announced it was ending its contracts.
Unilever’s AGM will be the first major protest over third party responsibility at a corporate gathering since updated EU regulations came into force to try and tackle the environmental and human rights impacts of supply chains. However, a Statute of Limitations will prevent Unilever from being prosecuted under new legal frameworks as the Indonesian land grab would be too historic.
Nevertheless, pressure is mounting on Unilever to take action amid a stream of allegations about its role in destroying habitats, local ecosystems and economies, and contributing to displacement of people. Many pertain to a period prior to the tenure of former boss Paul Polman, who was CEO between 2009 and 2019 and lauded for his efforts to improve ethics.
The consumer goods company, which manufactures products ranging from Dove soap to Pot Noodle and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, also announced a major rollback on environmental commitments in February this year. Headquartered in Britain and the Netherlands, the company posted an annual gross profit of $74.14billion for 2023, up from $63.29 in the previous 12 months.
‘When the company moved into the area, they took 72 hectares of land from our community. Not only did they destroy our gardens and the land many of us relied on for income, they burnt down a property of ours in the forest. In 2015, I was also arrested for gathering palm fruits, but more recently I have been intimidated by the company for uploading videos and posts about our struggle on social media,’ said Nengah Wantri, a mother of four involved in the Indonesian campaign. ‘Before they came, we had a good life. Now we don’t. My income has taken a huge hit. It’s been really difficult to put our children through school. And even being able to afford enough food to feed my family – it’s really hard.’
‘Our land used to be so fertile, it was very common to grow oranges or cocoa in our village. But the quality of the soil has degraded after much of the land was destroyed or converted to palm plantation,’ said Ketut Sovok, a farmer and father of four who lost land used for cultivation and now struggles to pay for his children to attend school. ‘Four of my friends were criminalised in 2022 for protesting against these violations at the office of the company. It’s really difficult for our community to take a stand for fear of the repercussions, but we want to be heard and for the world to know what’s happened to our lives and livelihoods… To see justice, we want our land returned to us – but we also want compensation for the environmental damage caused, and the years of abuse and intimidation we’ve endured.’
Join us on next Wednesday, October 11 for a panel discussion about how Harvard University, retirement fund manager TIAA, and U.S. agribusiness trader Bunge Limited are fueling land grabbing and ecocide in the Brazilian Cerrado.
Register here: https://t.co/2Vgj2IIuh8 pic.twitter.com/XmMm6naKBQ
— Friends of the Earth (Action) (@foe_us) October 3, 2023
In addition to representatives from the Indonesian communities, a number of other environmental organisations are expected to have a presence at the Unilever AGM. Friends of the Earth England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, alongside WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia) are all planning to attend. Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) have also confirmed intentions to be on site, with the protest beginning at 10AM and all campaigners encouraged to attend.
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Image: Anggit Rizkianto