Tuesday 7 October, 2024, London – An investigation published today by Global Witness has uncovered alarming
connections between the supply chain of one of the world’s largest collagen
producers and extensive deforestation and human rights abuses in Paraguay’s
Gran Chaco region.
The new investigation found
that beef giants Minerva Foods and Frigorífico Concepción are supplied by
sixteen cattle companies estimated to be responsible for over 75,000 hectares
of deforestation in Paraguay’s Gran Chaco forest in the last three years, an
area almost the size of New York City.
Global Witness has traced the
supply chains of collagen from Paraguay to one of the world’s largest collagen
companies, Rousselot. Our research suggests Rousselot was supplied with 3,000 tonnes of cattle
hides sourced from Frigorífico Concepción in Paraguay since 2022, according to
trade data.
Paraguay’s
Gran Chaco is a vital ecosystem for both climate change mitigation and
biodiversity. The forest, which spreads over Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and
Brazil, is South America’s second largest forest behind the Amazon. It is also home
to the Ayoreo Totobiegosode, one of the last voluntarily isolated Indigenous
groups in South America.
Cheap land, low taxes and
weak environmental laws for cattle ranchers contribute to Paraguay’s
deforestation crisis. One farm manager Global Witness spoke to in the Chaco
said that compared to Brazil, land in Paraguay was cheap and there were fewer
NGOs to scrutinise what they were doing.
Paraguay’s 1973 Forest Law
requires ranchers to preserve only 25% of forest cover on their property, effectively
allowing many to clear vast swathes of land.
Over 50 years later, current
President Santiago Peña continues
to stand firmly behind the cattle industry.
If current deforestation
rates continue in the country, Global Witness’ analysis suggests the Paraguayan
Chaco could cease to exist by 2080.
Deforestation in the region is
also driven by global demand for cattle and its byproducts.
In recent years, collagen has
become a major wellness trend, with celebrities, athletes, and influencers
touting its skin-enhancing and performance-boosting benefits. The main
ingredient in collagen is found in cattle hides or bones and pig skins.
Rousselot advertises itself
as “the global leader in collagen-based solutions”, claiming that its flagship
brand Peptan is “the world’s leading collagen peptide brand”.
Deforestation is not only an existential
threat to the forest itself, but also its people. A quarter of the total deforestation found in
this investigation – over 18,000 hectares, itself an area larger than Paris –
has occurred on farms overlapping with an area claimed by the Ayoreo
Totobiegosode. The cattle companies operating in this area sell to both Minerva
and Frigorífico Concepción.
Taguide Picanerai ,
a spokesperson the Ayoreo Totobiegosode, an Indigenous group in the Chaco,
said:
“Meat companies must stop buying from
producers that occupy Indigenous territories. Many of these farms don’t benefit anyone except the owner
[of the land] and a few others. And it just creates more need for the people in
our territory, who are poor.
“If the Ayoreo ceased to exist, Paraguay
would lose a part of its fundamental spirit. If our territory were lost, the
country would also lose a huge conservation asset.”
The findings come at a
critical time, as the EU’s landmark deforestation law faces uncertainty due to
calls from business and several countries, including Paraguay,
for its implementation to be postponed. The EUDR seeks to ensure that key
products traded and consumed within the EU and globally do not contribute to
deforestation and forest degradation.
The investigation reveals the
need for regulation and the failure of European markets and companies to
self-regulate against environmental and human rights abuses within their supply
chains.
Charlie Hammans, who authored the report, said:
“Collagen supplements may promise eternal youth to Western consumers – but they are also turbocharging a
deforestation crisis in Paraguay that has seen enormous swathes of climate-critical forest wiped out in just
three years.
“Our findings are a crucial
reminder of the urgent need for laws like the EU’s landmark anti-deforestation
law, which will help to ensure that products used to make collagen, along with
a range of products from beef burgers to car tyres, are sourced from
deforestation-free supply chains.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-07 12:32:00
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