ONLINE ACTIVISM
CREATING OFFLINE CHANGE
National Case Study- Don't Palm Us Off
The ‘Don’t Palm Us Off’ campaign was launched by Zoo’s Victoria in 2009. It’s an initiative that aims for the mandatory labelling of products sold in Australia which contain palm oil. The issue is that the short sighted and unsustainable method of obtaining palm oil involves the mass destruction of the orangutan's natural habitat; a process that will likely lead to orangutan extinction.
The majority of companies using palm oil in their products simply choose to omit that information from the labels of their goods. This lack of transparency by companies means that Australians are kept ignorant of the fact that they may be supporting the extinction of orangutans through their purchasing choices.
The campaign advocates a future where all palm oil usage is clearly labelled. Additionally if palm oil has been used, it will be RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) Certified Sustainable Palm Oil. Don't Palm Us Off 'encourages consumers to fight for their right to choose products that don’t destroy orangutan habitat' (Zoo’s Victoria, N.D).
However, deforestation resulting from the process of attainingt palm oil has been an issue for decades. The problem has been tackled offline in the past and remains an ongoing battle. Change begins with raising awareness so that consumers are aware of the damage that comes from consuming and using palm oil products. Online engagement and online campaigning is an efficient, effective and cheap way of spreading awareness of the problem. Unfortunately, it takes more than awareness to create offline change.
This case study focuses on tackling this global issue in a national scope, examining the efforts of Zoo’s Victoria specifically. The measurement of their success in an online space could be represented by the number of views of their YouTube videos, number of followers and mentions on Twitter, or the number of likes and shares on Facebook. These social media elements are important for awareness but the most effective method of the online strategy is their website. The website urges the user to help bring about change by offering a simple and targeted solution, stating: “You can voice your opinion on behalf of orangutans and exercise your right as an informed consumer. Visit the Zoopermarket at Melbourne Zoo and online now to discover what is behind the labels of your favourite brands and speak up on behalf of wild orangutans' (Zoo’s Victoria, N.D). This is a simple action based in an online space where people can directly exercise their choice as a consumer by purchasing products that don’t contain palm oil - or only containing Certified Palm Oil. This directly addresses one of the main problems of the palm oil crises which is that 'verifying the sustainable palm oil on the market is difficult. Big companies all buy from processors and traders, rather than directly from plantations' (The Economist, 2010). The Zoopermarket online makes shopping simple for consumers. Here an online campaign is directly linked to creating offline change through boycotting Palm Oil products.
In an interview we conducted with Rebecca Levy, General Manager Community Conservation of the ‘Don’t Palm Us Off’ campaign, we gained an insight into the successful nature of the campaign. She stressed that 'people have limited time online and the browsing behaviour means that you need to make an action as easy as possible' (Personal communication, 2014). She relates this back to their own successful campaign in saying that '[Online] campaigns must be targeted, specific, based on evidence and able to move as you achieve your campaign goals. The action needs to be specific, measurable and meaningful to the issue behind the particular wildlife threat' (Personal communication, 2014).
According to the goals and achievements listed on the ‘Don’t Palm Us Off’ website, the campaign is moving in a successful direction. The goals were listed as:
'- Raise public awareness about the palm oil crisis, exposing the link between consumers and orang-utan survival.
- To ensure that any palm oil used by Australian based manufacturers is 100% Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).
- Work with government and other agencies to mandate the labelling of palm oil on all products sold in Australia' (Zoo’s Victoria, N.D).
These are tangible offline changes that the group aims for, using digital platforms and social media as tools to raise awareness and gather support. The online aspect is integral to the success of this campaign as the internet is able to connect people to an issue that they previously may not have known to exist. By sharing online content through social media, the petition was able to accumulate 163,000 signatures. At this point the core group of activists at Zoo’s Victoria were able to take the petition to the government in an offline space. This is where the real legislative change is made possible. It’s important to remember that these key changes are done offline with a group who are prepared and informed about the issue. Zoo’s Victoria have a mission for change and are able to offer a realistic solution, outlining the process of how to achieve it.
The achievements listed on their website are:
'Inspired more than 163,000 petition signatures demanding mandatory palm oil labelling.
Motivated large organisations to commit to CSPO by 2015 – Unilever and Woolworths confirmed their decision was prompted by the rise in community awareness as a result of Don’t Palm Us Off and the work of WWF.
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon introduced the Truth in Labelling (Palm Oil) Bill 2009, calling for the mandatory labelling of palm oil, inspired by Don’t Palm us Off.
Zoos Victoria was awarded the 2011 Banksia Environmental Foundation People’s Choice Award, reinforcing the continued strong public support for the issue' (Zoo’s Victoria, N.D).
These are all offline changes that have used online platforms to make the outcome possible. This issue did not begin online and it will not end online, it is merely a means to reach more people. Rebecca Levy emphasises in her interview; 'Our online campaigning is generally part of a broader campaign with face-to-face at its heart' (Personal communication, 2014). She further explains. 'We use our zoos and our animals to connect people to a specific animal, help them understand the issue that is threatening them and then we use this to inspire action' (Personal communication, 2014).
Ultimately for the Don’t Palm Us Off campaign, online action and offline change go hand in hand - it is not an either/or, scenario; neither would be possible without the other. The campaign would be unsuccessful if it was strictly online with no leader to take the petition and ideas to the government or negotiate the use of Certified Palm Oil with organisations. Similarly, the campaign would be unsuccessful if it were merely a handful of individuals petitioning for change without a way to share their ideas and knowledge of the issue with the wider public. Clicktavism is not a bad thing, as long as there a group of passionate activists to carry through with the intentions and goals of the movement.
