Helping the Amazon rainforest—the world’s lungs—is one area where we can put our purchasing power as consumers to work. What’s that mean? Not supporting businesses and industries that profit from deforestation. The top three drivers of tropical rainforest loss are the production of beef, oil-producing plants, and paper- and wood-based products. Beef cattle alone are responsible for 41%, which is twice the deforestation rate of the number two contributor, oil-producing plants, which account for about 18%.
In addition to the meat itself, there are also the indirect impacts of raising and fattening up all those bovines. Around three-quarters of the world’s soybeans are grown to be livestock feed. With trade tensions and tariffs cutting off U.S. soybean exports to China, Brazil is increasingly filling the void. Brazil became the world’s top soy exporter earlier this year.
All that’s a big part of why we’re less dogged about avoiding things like palm oil than we are about putting down the burgers. That’s because replacing palm oil—which is cheap, versatile, and dense—with a combo of the three top oil alternatives would put an additional land area the size of Spain at risk. Demand for palm oil is going to continue to grow, but this is a conversation about progress as opposed to perfection. Environmental groups and companies have made steps towards codifying what responsible palm-oil production looks like (you can learn how to spot products that use these practices here), whereas there’s no such thing as “green’ beef.
As for paper: A lot of the U.S. pulp comes from Canada, but excessive tree-felling is an issue there, too. Either way, the to-do here is simple: Whenever possible, opt for products made from recycled materials over virgin stock. (It’s why our toilet paper recommendation is recycled, and so are our favorite paper towels.) Around 68% of paper in the U.S. finds a second life. Rapidly growing crops like bamboo might seem like a panacea here, but only if you know what to look for. Demand for the wood-y grass has jumped so much that some farmers clear forests to grow it or create monocultures, so look for products bearing a Forest Stewardship Council certification to make certain proper steps have been taken when sourcing materials.
Beyond those everyday actions, you can also stay involved with advocacy organizations focused on stemming deforestation. The Rainforest Action Network is a good place to start; they organize campaigns telling brands and leaders to clean up their acts.