In April 2025, Mongabay published an investigation on forest clearing in critical orangutan habitat in Indonesian Borneo. The story elevated the findings of an analysis by the U.S.-based campaign group Mighty Earth, which showed a palm oil company had begun clearing mostly intact, high-quality forest inside its concession in West Kalimantan. This raised concerns about risks to high conservation value forests and habitat for the critically endangered Bornean orangutan.
The investigation also examined supply chain risks linked to the company’s wider corporate group. Mongabay reported that palm fruit from companies associated with the group had been connected to a processor supplying a major global palm oil trader. The story added to concerns raised by environmental advocates about deforestation risks in palm oil supply chains.
Impact
Mongabay’s independent reporting became part of a formal corporate accountability process. The palm oil trader later cited the investigation in its public grievance review while documenting its engagement with a supplier over alleged sourcing from companies linked to the corporate group highlighted in Mongabay’s story.
After the concerns were raised, the supplier stopped buying from two companies linked to the group. The palm oil trader then visited the supplier from Aug. 20-22, 2025, to check whether the change had been made. According to the company’s report, the supplier had stopped sourcing from both companies, with the last recorded purchase on Aug. 2, 2025.
The report also said the supplier committed to improving how it checks its own suppliers, with the goal of strengthening traceability and compliance.
For species like orangutans and their habitat, this kind of supplier scrutiny matters: stronger checks can make it harder for palm fruit linked to forest clearing to reach major markets. While it does not guarantee that threatened forests will be protected, it adds pressure for companies to address deforestation risks in orangutan habitat.
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Banner image: A Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) hangs from the trees. Fewer than 100,000 orangutans remain on Borneo. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay.