Bad news for pizza lovers -- turns out Pizza Hut is still linked to rainforest destruction.

Last month you helped convince Yum! Brands, owner of Pizza Hut and KFC, to announce a policy to only buy 100% deforestation-free palm oil. Now the company is facing the first test of its new commitment.

A new report shows that one of Pizza Hut's largest international franchisees — Jardine Matheson -- is responsible for massive destruction of rainforests and endangered elephant habitat.

Jardines is a huge multinational conglomerate, and its Restaurant Group owns Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants all over Asia. Jardines also owns the Astra Agro Lestari palm oil company, which is drivingbrutal amounts of deforestation in Indonesia.

Pizza Hut cannot claim to be deforestation-free while its franchisees are cutting down the rainforest. If Pizza Hut doesn't act, it could contribute to the wiping out of one of the world's most intelligent, majestic creatures – the already endangered Sumatran Elephant.

Tell Pizza hut -- honor your commitment and tell Jardine Matheson to stop the deforestation.

Sumatran elephants live in the lush ecosystem of the Indonesian rainforest. This critically endangered species has long been under threat from habitat destruction and illegal poaching and now there are only estimated to be 3000 Sumatran elephants left in the world. These magnificent creatures depend on the rainforest to thrive, but deforestation by companies like Astra Agro Lestari is devastating their habitat. Elephants aren't the only ones to suffer -- orangutans, tigers, and sun bears are all seeing their homes destroyed.

Of course, this issue affects humans as well as wildlife. Astra Agro Lestari manages over 280,000 hectares of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and is, by many counts, an irresponsible supplier of palm oil. It lags behind its competitors on both forest conservation and human rights -- the company has set up plantations on top of the customary lands of the indigenous Orang Rimba community in the Jambi province of Sumatra, Indonesia, leaving them in precarious circumstances.

And the implications for climate change are terrible. Astra Agro Lestari's clearing of ultra-carbon rich peatlands has already released over two million tons of carbon into our already fragile climate—the equivalent of 830,000 cars.

The worst part is that while many other major palm oil companies have committed to end their deforestation and are aligned in calling on the Indonesian government to enact laws that protect forests, Astra Agro Lestari has been standing in the way. An Astra Director is also the Chairman of the powerful Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association, GAPKI, which has been actively lobbying the government to allow companies to continue cutting down the forest.

Pizza Hut being in bed with the same companies that profit off of this destruction is enough to make anyone lose their appetite.

There is no time to waste. Tell Pizza Hut that zero deforestation means zero deforestation.

Palm oil is a $50 billion per year commodity that is in half of all products on shelves. It's also the biggest driver of the destruction of Southeast Asia's forests -- but it doesn't have to be. There are millions of miles of already degraded land suitable for growing palm oil without destroying forests.

And the tide is already turning. SumOfUs members have come together to pressure big palm oil purchasers like Kelloggs, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonalds and Yum! Brands to adopt a responsible stance on palm oil. Now we need to make sure brands like Pizza Hut follow through on their commitments.

Tell Pizza Hut that it's time to walk the walk -- being serious about stopping deforestation means requiring Jardine Matheson to stop cutting down the rainforest.

**********
More Information:

Astra Agro Lestari - Green Tigers Index Rankings -- Forest Heroes
She's Not A Fan -- Forest Heroes Report , May 2015 --