In 2009, following a three year investigation, Greenpeace published a report that revealed the cattle sector’s role as the key driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The campaign tracked leather, beef, and other cattle products produced by ranches involved in illegal deforestation as they made their way to processing plants, manufacturers, and ultimately consumers.
The report highlighted the need to end deforestation in the Amazon for cattle and the importance of having people, industry, and governments work together to implement a global solution that protects tropical forests to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Greenpeace published a report that revealed the cattle sector’s role as the key driver of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon”
At the time of publication there was widespread press coverage of the report – including a front page article in the Guardian, and big editorials in the FT and the Telegraph. The story was covered globally, with major reports in newspapers from Germany to Indonesia and Pakistan, and everywhere in between.
Through this campaign, Greenpeace leveraged change by targeting brands that use Brazilian beef or leather in their products; the major successes came when Greenpeace targeted global footwear brands who then in turn raised awareness of the issue within the supply chain through their involvement with the Leather Working Group (LWG).
