Greenpeace Targets KFC in Campaign Against Rainforest Logging

Greenpeace criticises KFC for destruction of the environment through the sourcing of its crispy chicken buckets from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).  Greenpeace stated in a recent report that APP obtains its timber from Indonesian rainforests, which play home to rare species such as the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger.

Rainforest-Originated Packaging

KFC has refuted the accusations against them, claiming that they do not buy their packaging from APP and that almost eighty percent of their paperboard and paper commodities are obtained from sustainable sources. However, Greenpeace claim to have found rainforest-originated packaging in Indonesia, China and the UK.

In May 2012, Asia Pulp and Paper pledged to safeguard forests with a fleet of reforms including the suspension, from June 2012, of its natural forest clearance activities in its Indonesian pulpwood plantations. Nevertheless, Greenpeace have responded that that the pledge allows rainforest clearance to continue until 2015. APP has previously made similar pledges to cease sourcing from natural forests in 2004, 2007 and 2009 - promises that they failed to deliver on.

Greenpeace have asked KFC's parent company, Yum! to cease trading with APP, following the example of other companies including Collins, Xerox and Danone who have pledged to reject the company over claims of illegal logging.  Over 60 companies worldwide have moved against APP, either by terminating contracts or selling their shares.

Greenpeace's report states that "KFC and Yum! have done the least of any of the top fast food companies to rid their supply chain of rainforest destruction."  However, Ken Wong, marketing professor at Queen's University comments "I don’t suspect the typical KFC customer is a Greenpeace advocate, so I don’t know that it will hurt sales."

Meanwhile, Asia Pulp & Paper have challenged Greenpeace's report, labelling it a "distortion of facts."  They have asked Greenpeace to stop labelling Indonesian "companies as the villains in the fight against climate change" when the country is already working arduously to protect their rainforests.