| Story | In order to communicate the decision to remove the use of palm oil in its products, the Spanish brand TRAPA Chocolates sent an expedition to Borneo (Indonesia) in September 2018. There, TRAPA Chocolates took a photograph of one of the rainforests threatened by the deforestation caused by palm oil plantations. TRAPA Chocolates used this photograph - which was published as a press ad in different national magazines - and the broadcast of a documentary, which was released on social media ("An Unrepeatable Photo?" on Facebook and YouTube), warning that, if the jungle were to be deforested, TRAPA would return to Borneo to repeat the same photo, in the same place, and thus publicly denounce its destruction. According to local sources, between the months of December 2018 and January 2019, the deforestation of the area where the "Unrepeatable Photo" was taken was foreseen, so TRAPA began the common legal requirements to return to Indonesia in the near future. However, for reasons beyond TRAPA's control, this trip could not be carried out. Not being able to travel to finish the project, the Spanish company has contracted the services of a satellite thanks to which is has been confirmed that the area where the first photograph was taken is still standing. This satellite image clearly shows how all the bordering areas are deforested or exploited with new palm oil plantations, leaving only the area where "The Unrepeatable Photo" was taken standing. "They may make it difficult for us to complete this project, the palm oil lobby can try to withdraw every campaign we do, but what cannot be hidden is the deforestation caused by palm oil plantations, which continue to threaten animals in danger of extinction", the Spanish company stated, adding that "if in an effort to hide the reality, the deforestation of a part of the rainforest has been halted, we are glad to be able to contribute to save a part of this threatened rainforest". As soon as the first part of "The Unrepeatable Photo" became public in Spain, the palm oil lobby (an association made up of powerful multinationals) reacted immediately by putting pressure to withdraw the campaign. They did this by filing a complaint with the self-regulatory body "Autocontrol", to which TRAPA Chocolates is not even assigned. The company did not let itself by intimidated, and responded by maintaining the publication of the photograph and the documentary on the Internet. |