Protesters show how deforestation would impact Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park

What is the company protesting?

Meridian is aiming to warn the public about the destruction deforestation is wreaking in Indonesia.

Between 1990 and 2015, 24 million hectares of rainforest (an area the size of the UK) was destroyed in Indonesia primarily to make way for palm oil plantations.

The artwork demonstrates what iconic British landmarks would look like if we destroyed the UK’s trees at the same rate as deforestation is happening in Borneo, Indonesia.

The company estimates that an area 707 times the size of Kelvingrove Park is deforested in Indonesia every hour.

How do people feel about this?

Meridian’s latest research revealed a third (30 per cent) of British and Irish people rank deforestation as one of their top concerns and one in five (19 per cent) are most worried about species extinction.

Yet, two thirds (66 per cent) are not avoiding palm oil - a major contributor to deforestation and the destruction of orangutan habitats - whenever possible. A third (33 per cent) said this is because they feel palm oil is simply impossible to avoid as it’s in so many products.

Its research also found that Glaswegians feel the most guilt for the part they’ve played in damaging the planet (16 per cent) - more than any major city in the UK.

What is Meridian saying?

Managing director of Meridian Foods, Paul Fraser, commented: “There are simple steps we can all take to help turn around the fate of the orangutan species. By choosing products that don’t contain palm oil, everyone will help reduce demand and deforestation in the process.

“But really, the responsibility shouldn’t lie with consumers to reverse climate change. It’s time for businesses to stop using palm oil unnecessarily. So many products contain palm oil which simply don’t need it. In fact, they taste better without it.”