(ORDO NEWS) — An international team of journalists from the UK and Brazil, together with experts from the Center for Climate Crime Analysis, found that cattle breeding for raw materials for the cosmetics and food industries is increasing the deforestation of the Amazon jungle.
The situation is complicated by the fact that collagen suppliers are not required to report on their environmental impact.
The international demand for collagen for the production of nutritional supplements and cosmetics is associated with the ongoing deforestation of Brazil’s nature.
Animal protein is obtained by processing the meat of cattle, for the sake of breeding which the jungle is actively cut down in the country.
UK and Brazil and specialists from the Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA), traced the collagen supply chain from livestock farms clearing land for new pastures to international manufacturers of collagen supplements. One of them was Vital Proteins, a subsidiary of food giant Nestle.
Bovine collagen is described as a by-product of animal husbandry, which in Brazil accounts for 80% of all Amazon forest loss.
According to activists, the term “by-product” is misleading. According to the USDA, non-meat products, of which skin and collagen are the most valuable, make up just under half the weight of a slaughtered cow and can provide up to 20% of meat processing plant revenues.
The researchers noted that the link between beef and soybean production and deforestation in Brazil is well known.
However, little attention has been paid to the collagen industry, even though the market is already valued at $4 billion a year.
Protein supplements are in demand around the world because, according to their manufacturers, collagen helps improve the condition of hair, skin, nails, and joints, slowing down the aging process.
Nestle, which owns Vital Proteins, said it would review its suppliers as it adheres to sustainable business principles.
The corporation assured that they want to completely eliminate the factor of deforestation from their supply chains by 2025.
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