Following the announcement that the G7 nations will be committing $20 million towards helping fight fires in the Amazon rainforest, attention has turned to whether the consumer goods industry will follow suit and also pledge funds.
Yesterday, luxury group LVMH, the parent company of Hennessy cognac and Moët & Chandon champagne, was the first to move, with the announcement that it would 'join President Macron and the G7 initiative' by pledging €10 million to help fighting the wildfires, and calling on other firms to follow suit.
Twitter users have called upon consumer goods businesses – particularly those that were financially supportive of measures to rebuild Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, such as L'Oréal and Kering – to take action to save the rainforest.
'Collective Action'
Commenting on its pledge, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, member of the LVMH board of directors, said, “Protecting the environment is not just about words and speeches or signing declarations of principle, it also requires taking concrete collective actions when dangers arise in order to provide resources for local specialists and work together to save our planet.
"I am proud that LVMH is participating in this emergency effort and I hope that many others will follow suit.”
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has also taken to Twitter, to state that the tech giant will be making a donation to help curb the wildfires, saying "It’s devastating to see the fires and destruction ravaging the Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s most important ecosystems. Apple will be donating to help preserve its biodiversity and restore the Amazon’s indispensable forest across Latin America."
More Work Needed
Yesterday, environmental charity Greenpeace said that while it 'welcomed' the financial and logistical assistance package from the G7 countries, more work was needed to address the issue, such as cuts to the "import of agricultural products associated with deforestation and soil degradation," said Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan.
"Sweeping change to the global food system is needed, including a 50% cut in meat and dairy consumption by 2050, and rich countries such as the G7 should reduce that even further.”
Elsewhere, Greenpeace Germany's trade policy advisor Juergen Knirsch added that the EU should suspend its planned Mercosur trade deal until the Amazon, along with the Chaco Forests and Cerado are protected, "and the world can be ensured that the deal includes strong enforceable measures to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals".
Reject Package
According to reports this morning, a top official in Brazil has already rejected the assistance package from the G7 countries, in a statement to the G1 news website.
"We appreciate (the offer), but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe," Onyx Lorenzoni, chief of staff to President Jair Bolsonaro was reported as saying.
Lorenzoni also suggested that President Macron of a "colonialist and imperialist" objective with the measure, noting that the French leader was unable to "avoid a forseeable fire" at Notre Dame cathedral.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
