In a bold protest, Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists dressed as koalas scaled an iconic McDonald’s store in Melbourne, Australia, calling attention to the fast food giant’s role in deforestation.
The activists unfurled a banner reading “Take Deforestation off the Menu” beneath the golden arches in Clifton Hill, highlighting McDonald’s significant impact on nature destruction due to its beef purchasing practices.
The story continues after this advertisement:
Activists Demand McDonald’s Address Deforestation
According to research commissioned by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, 668,665 hectares of threatened koala habitat have been destroyed for beef production in the past five years alone — an area 2,400 times the size of Sydney’s CBD.
McDonald’s, one of Australia’s largest beef purchasers, has been linked to this deforestation.
“Right now, the beef industry in Australia is killing native wildlife, and major beef purchasers like McDonald’s are contributing to the deforestation crisis, pushing iconic animals like the koala to the brink of extinction,” said Gemma Plesman, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
She noted that their Deforestation Scorecard (scroll down), which assessed ten of Australia’s largest beef purchasers, including McDonald’s, revealed that none met their commitment to be deforestation-free by 2025.
A senior McDonald’s executive admitted that the company does not monitor deforestation down to the property level and continues to purchase beef from deforested areas.
Additionally, McDonald’s uses a weak definition of deforestation to monitor forest destruction, raising questions about its environmental performance.
Australia has one of the highest rates of deforestation globally, primarily driven by land clearing for beef cattle grazing.
With Australian beef supplying 65% of McDonald’s stores worldwide, customers may be unknowingly consuming beef from land that once housed koalas and other threatened wildlife.
As global markets, including the EU, shift towards deforestation-free beef, Australian beef purchasers must ensure their supply chains are free from deforestation.
“If big corporations like McDonald’s take action to change their practices, we can stop the destruction of our native wildlife and the places they call home,” Plesman emphasized.
She urged McDonald’s to publicly commit to deforestation-free supply chains by 2025, using global best practice definitions that protect regenerated forests and habitats for threatened species.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling for McDonald’s to lead by example and adopt rigorous standards to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain, helping to fulfill the government’s commitment to “no new extinctions” in Australia.
Related stories
Important Koala Habitat Logged to Undermine Koala Sanctuary
Forestry Corp fails Koala Protection Measures inside GKNP
Logging halted after Forestry Corp misidentifies trees
Reactions to new Federal Environment Protection Agency
Forestry Corporation NSW’s Illegal Logging Exposed
Urgent Need for Transitioning to Plantation Timber
Our Gardening section
Building nesting boxes to save wildlife impacted by logging
Nesting Boxes: Creative Upcycling for Wildlife Conservation
