In a report published in October, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that we have 12 years left to stop irreversible damage to the Earth. Amid this growing and pressing need for widespread awareness about the planet’s environmental crisis, the United Kingdom banned an advertisement carrying a message about deforestation
Clearcast, the organisation responsible for approving advertisements in the UK before they air, deemed the ad by retailer Iceland Foods, which was meant to be aired during Christmas, too political.
The supermarket chain repackaged an animated short film, originally made by environmental organisation Greenpeace, about an orangutan forced to leave its natural habitat because of deforestation related to palm oil production. Clearcast stated this involvement of Greenpeace and the breach of the country’s ban on political advertising as the reason for not allowing it to be aired.
Meanwhile, Iceland Foods shared the video on YouTube and released a statement saying its aim was to “raise awareness of rainforest destruction caused by palm oil production, and its devastating impact on the critically endangered orangutan”.
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