Why the
Iceland Ad Shouldn't Have Been Banned British supermarket Iceland is taking a stand against palm oil, but why won’t the media support its campaign?
by David Colebourn
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil that is ubiquitous in processed food, mostly thanks to its ease and efficiency of production. It's estimated to be the most produced and consumed vegetable oil, totalling a whopping 30% of all plant oil output globally, but this massproduction comes at a great cost. It takes only cursory research to discover that the production of palm oil on this scale is causing nothing short of devastation to rainforest biomes across the planet. Though it can be produced sustainably, it's less profitable to do this than to clear new land with every harvest cycle. The impact is most severe in Indonesia and Malaysia, although the adaptability of the African oil palm tree (from which the oil is farmed) means that any hot and humid climate is vulnerable to the unsustainable practice of clearing 300 football fields' worth of forest every hour. The impact on the habitat of rainforest species is huge. The UN notes that up to 5000 orangutans are killed annually in pursuit of land for palm oil plantations. They have declared a “conservation emergency” with regards to this species, in light of the prediction that orangutans could be forced into
extinction within just five
years.
To this end, one UK supermarket is making a stand. The Walesbased frozen food specialist Iceland recently produced a 90second advert for their newly launched range of palm oil free ownbrand products. It can be found here, and features a baby orangutan, Rangtan, who has chosen to live in a child’s bedroom. Although the child is initially frustrated, she later learns that he was forced to flee his home because of deforestation, and pledges to spread Rangtan’s story “far and wide” in order to curb the loss of his natural habitat. As a piece of persuasive broadcasting, the advert is very well put together. I particularly appreciate the direct and level comparison between animals and humans appropriating each others’ living spaces. Appropriate graphics and music, in addition to a feasible strategy for combating environmental damage, give the advert considerable gravity without overwhelming its audience. Truth be told, I think it's excellent. Iceland had hoped to air the advert on television, specifically to rival the famous annual Christmas advert aired by John
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