KFC in the crosshairs of a global revolt

"Finally, Colonel Sanders' best kept secret is out," announces the environmental organization Greenpeace on the official page of the campaign "KFC turns the rainforest into trash" that aims to pressure the multinational food company to break with Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), after discovering that the paper company (accused of deforesting primary forests in Indonesia and destroying the habitat of protected species) is one of the suppliers that the American food company uses for chicken, rice and French fries wrappers. 

“KFC must stop doing business with the paper company Asia Pulp & Paper, which is destroying Indonesia’s natural forests, especially on the island of Sumatra,” Bustar Maitar (head of the campaign) told EFE. Maitar says that KFC packaging is made from a mix of tropical wood, including species such as ramin, a white-wood tree protected by Indonesian and international laws. “We plan to gradually increase the level of pressure to get KFC to stop buying from APP, as other companies such as Mattel and Nestlé have done,” he added.

Asia Pulp & Paper denied in a statement that its products come from protected tropical forests in Indonesia and said it has strict policies to ensure that only materials from legal plantations enter its production chain. The paper company added that Greenpeace "has tried to mislead the public again" and argued that the use of a mix of tropical woods "does not compromise the sustainability of the products."

Greenpeace, which accuses APP of illegal logging and destroying the habitat of endangered animals, launched an aggressive campaign against the paper mill two years ago, targeting its customers, warning them about the company's policies. Since then, companies such as Unilever and Kimberly-Clark have broken off their commercial relations with APP.

Greenpeace's invitation is clear: "We need thousands of people to join the revolt to make the Colonel change his secret recipe for destruction. Create your own packaging revolt – choose a character, fill in the form and watch it come to life. Then share it with your friends and create the biggest revolt. Rebel!" concludes the text to encourage the public to act also through their social networks. 

The campaign, which began a few days ago, has garnered nearly 55,000 signatures around the world.

KFC doesn't mind turning tigers' home into trash. But the jungle produces unruly packaging!

To access the website of KFC, No Good for the jungle (in Spanish)