A campaign has been launched calling on care providers to cut down the use of single-use plastic and products containing sustainable palm oil.
The 5 Nations Care Forum launched the campaign following Iceland’s banned Christmas advert hit the headlines for being too political.
The food retailer used a Greenpeace animation featuring an orangutan showing how palm oil growers are destroying its rainforest habitat.
Palm oil is featured in everyday products including pizza dough, chocolate, ice cream, margarine, shampoo and detergent and tropical rainforests are being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations, destroying the habitats of endangered species.
The 5 Nations Care Forum is now calling on care providers to take action.
Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “Plastic pollution is a problem we can no longer ignore. It is poisoning and injuring marine life and disrupting human hormones. It is littering our beaches and landscapes as well as clogging our waste streams and landfills. In short, it is now threatening the survival of our planet.
“The 5 Nations Group is calling on social care providers to join the battle to combat the increasing menace posed by single-use plastic.
“The social care sector exists to serve the public good. It is integral part of the rich and vibrant tapestry of our communities. It represents all that is decent about humanity. As the leaders of this vital sector we have the opportunity to demonstrate in a very practical sense that we also care about our planet.”
Mr Kreft, in terms of palm oil, said: “We’re not advocating that people do not avoid using palm oil entirely, as this would only increase demand for other oils which can be even more damaging impact to the environment. Instead we are campaigning to encourage the social care sector to come together to increase demand for sustainable palm oil.
“We have a simple choice. We can either ignore the looming dangers, pretend they’re not there, and bury our collective heads deep into the sand. Or we can take action and do our bit to help literally save the planet.
“It we do not act, soon it will be too late, and the damage will be done. We can make a difference, and we must.”
The campaign has been endorsed by Ken Skates AM, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport.