Dear Member of the European Parliament

We, the undersigned, on behalf of the remaining wild Orangutan population of the world, respectfully request the European Parliament to intervene and help save a species from extinction.

The Orangutan could be completely extinct in the wild in as little as 10 to 12 years. One of the biggest threats at the moment is deforestation due to palm oil. Palm oil, containing saturated fat, is found in one in every ten products on our shelves, including food, make-up, cleaning products, biofuel etc.

Apart from the health implications of saturated fats, accurate ingredient labeling is not regulated. As a result, palm oil as an ingredient is either mislabeled as “vegetable oil”, or is labeled using one of many scientific names, ie Elaeis guineensis, which consumer do not know as the killer product it is.

As consumers we have a right to know when a product we buy has a detrimental effect on another living species and its habitat. Unfortunately this choice is taken away from us as there is no regulation of palm oil labeling as an ingredient – we could end up buying a “fair trade” or other ethical product, to the detriment of another species.

We request that it become compulsory for all EU member countries that palm oil be labeled as palm oil, not only for its health risks, but also to give consumers the choice to help save a species, and the rainforest, and to ban the manufacture and import of products where this is not declared. If the EU can set an example, the UN and the world could follow, and we could finally make a difference in saving not only the Orangutan, but its home, the rainforest - the lungs of the planet, as well as many other species. The opposite is also true - if a product contains palm oil from a sustainable source, not the rainforest, it should also be mentioned – consumers can then support this “ethical” trade.

Even though the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil as well as many organisations are committed to make a change, the change is not actually happening - not quick enough.

We have to take action now. We have to make changes now. We have to commit now. Time is running out.

We urge you, the rest of the EU, and the rest of the world to take action NOW - help consumers across the world make ethical, well-informed choices. We cannot continue to live in ignorance - the very future of the planet is at stake.

Yours sincerely

Ryno Nel and the undersigned, on behalf of the Orangutans
Red Alert Orangutan Preservation Campaign
www.primateprotection.org.uk