Your planet needs you | Friends of the Earth

People and planet over power and profit

UK corporate giants are destroying nature overseas through their global supply chains. Thousands of hectares of tropical rainforests and other precious habitats are being lost through logging and to make way for palm oil plantations and soy monocultures. All to produce our everyday products like paper, biscuits, and chicken.

It’s threatening the lives and livelihoods of the indigenous communities and wild species who call the forests home.

But weak UK law lets these companies get away with it. Companies should be required to avoid harm to communities and the environment. When they fail, they should be held to account. And the people affected should be able to seek justice.

We’re taking action by demanding a tough new law to protect people and planet, and you can help.

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A group of activists stand in front of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office holding a CUT (Clean Up the Tropical Timber Trade) banner

Products harming people and planet

Orangutan hiding among the trees in Indonesian tropical forest

Timer and wood products

Logging for wood products is the third largest cause of tropical deforestation. UK imports are harming forests and their communities, but we can fight for sustainable timber and more trees.

Palm oil

Palm oil plantations ravage rainforests and peatlands, and cause catastrophic fires and land conflicts. UK companies are driving unethical palm oil, but together we can protect threatened habitats and people.

Two tractors clearing the soil for soy farming in Brazil, generating lots of dust over barren land

Soy

Soy grown for animal feed has taken over great swathes of previously forested land. It's harming habitats and communities here and abroad, but food production and farming can be done sustainably.

A number of workers sat at sewing machines in a clothing factory

Fast fashion

Fast fashion's profit-over-quality model harms our planet and exploits workers. Well-known brands are linked to unethical supply chains, but together we can be sustainable while still looking stylish.

"Our forest is our bank, our supermarket, our hospital. Without a forest [we] cannot survive." - Komeok Joe, leader of Keruan and Penan community elder

With the support of people like you, we are:

Demonstrators holding a banner that reads "People and planet over power and profit" and other placards

Demanding a tough new law

We can't continue to turn a blind eye to toxic chemical leaks or tolerate forced labour. It's time to say no. Together with other charities, activists, businesses and trade unions, we’re calling for a new Business, Human Rights and Environment Act to hold the business, finance and public sectors to account.

Person at a demonstration holding a placard that reads "Unilever, stop buying conflict palm oil"

Holding Unilever responsible

Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company known for products like Magnum ice creams and Dove soap. But there are huge issues hidden in its supply chain with shocking cases of environmental damage and human rights abuses in Indonesia. Unilever claims to be a leader in sustainability but is still buying palm oil from the company Astra Agro Lestari (AAL) which has been linked to land grabbing in Sulawesi. We're putting pressure on Unilever to cut its ties with AAL.

A group of villagers surround a digger holding signs saying "Stop the chop"

Protecting rainforests in Malaysia

Indigenous communities in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, have seen devastating levels of deforestation in recent years, with a 27% loss of tree cover between 2000 and 2021. Samling, a Malaysian timber and palm oil company, is a key player. We’re supporting indigenous activists in Malaysia to help them stand up to Samling’s attempts to silence them for calling out the company’s destructive activities.

Where your money goes

Your monthly donation will help fund vital research, strengthen campaign actions and push for government action to stop further environmental and human rights abuses by corporate giants.

And it’ll mean you can look back in 5, 10 or 20 years and say "I was on the right side of history. I stood up for our planet and helped drive meaningful change.”

So, are you ready to take that first step? Join us today with a monthly donation and help build a better world.

Join us

Portrait of an indigenous woman holding her young child in the Amazon

Your inside track on environmental action

When you join, you’ll start receiving the latest campaign developments as they break. We’ll send you our award-winning Earthmatters magazine, share expert tips for reducing our environmental impact, and keep you informed on key events and extra ways to build your impact.

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