Greenpeace has redoubled its campaign against Tesco with a new video lambasting the supermarket for “making a profit out of Amazon destruction”.
The environmental group encouraged social media users to share the post, which shows Tesco boss Ken Murphy watching a rainforest in flames, with the hashtag #TescosBurningSecret.
It comes despite the Big 4 grocer’s attempt to blunt criticisms by lobbying the government to halt deforestation by replacing soy with insect feed.
The video, depicting Tesco signing a contract with “forest destroyers”, has been liked and retweeted hundreds of times.
READ MORE: Tesco deforestation policy has ‘critical flaws’
According to content producer Helle Abelvik-Lawson, the “destroyers” are JBS, a company repeatedly linked to deforestation of the Amazon.
The multi-billion meat supplier has repeatedly denied the allegations but does not plan on ending deforestation in its supply chain until 2035.
Abelvik-Lawson added that animals reared in Britain and sold in Tesco are fed soy from deforested land.
“Tesco are complicit in the fires raging across Brazil,” she claimed.
Social media users were quick to disavow the supermarket, pushing #TescosBurningSecret onto Twitter’s trending page last night.
“Making huge profits at the expense of our planet for meat and palm oil is not a supermarket I would step foot in,” said one shopper.
“Tesco you lost a customer until you sort this,” tweeted another.
“I like your butties but I like our planet more.”
In what appeared to be a coordinated strike from Greenpeace, a number of people told Tesco to “stop buying meat from notorious forest destroyers” and ditch its “vague targets and PR”.
Making huge profits at the expense of our planet for meat and palmoil is not a supermarket I would step foot in. Stop lying @Tesco we see you #TescosBurningSecret pic.twitter.com/cneYIpyA5B
— kit (@FreeScot45) September 6, 2021
#TescosBurningSecret Tesco you lost a customer until you sort this, I like your butties but I like our planet more. #Tesco https://t.co/IbtUbD4KYV
— Rubberduckedup (@rubberduckedup) September 6, 2021
Hey, UK 🇬🇧 #TESCO shoppers! You have the power 2 demand #ClimateAction! Vague targets & PR are nice, but if @Tesco really wanted to help tackle #ClimateCrisis, they’d stop buying meat from notorious forest destroyers. #TescosBurningSecret pic.twitter.com/3GRnjG77Tc
— Humans 4 Human Rights (@4_humans) September 6, 2021
The pressure group has also written an email template for customers to send to Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy, calling for “actions not words”.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Clearing forest land for crops must stop – we are committed to fully playing our part to prevent further deforestation.
“We met our 2020 industry-wide target of certified ‘zero net deforestation’ for our own direct soy sourcing a year early.
“Recognising there is more to do, we have set an additional 2025 target to only source our UK soy from verified zero deforestation regions.
“Our suppliers meet our zero deforestation standards, and we are working with them to meet our 2025 goal.”
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