Greenpeace has delivered a global petition signed by 300,000 people to the IOI Group in Malaysia, calling on the palm oil company to end its contribution to the regional haze by cutting off all suppliers clearing rainforest for plantations, and by fully protecting peatlands. IOI is estimated to be the world’s third-largest palm oil company.

Greenpeace volunteers and members of Malaysian civil society visited IOI Group’s headquarters in Putrajaya to hand over the petition. Carrying signs saying “Forest Fires Start Here”, they highlighted IOI Group’s links to suppliers involved in serious environmental and rights abuses including destruction of Indonesian rainforests, illegal fires and child labour.

The activity in Malaysia is part of a global escalating effort by Greenpeace to highlight IOI’s malpractice. Beginning in Jakarta (27 Sept), Greenpeace launched ‘A Deadly Trade-Off’, a report documenting IOI’s trade in palm oil from companies involved in forest destruction, peatland fires and child labour.