How your choices at the checkout can affect wildlife at home and abroad
CBC Docs | Posted: February 28, 2025 6:15 PM | Last Updated: February 28
The surprising connections between wildlife and our household goods and tips for making more informed choices
Have you ever enjoyed your morning coffee while considering the plight of migratory birds? Sipped a glass of Pinot Noir while thinking about Pacific salmon?
The products we buy have impacts on the natural world, including wildlife, that we might not think of. And with limitless consumer choice, it's easy to overlook where these items come from.
But whether it's coffee that protects the habitats of migratory birds in Latin America and Africa, or vineyards that implement practices to help restore salmon habitats in the Pacific Northwest, there is a growing market for wildlife-friendly products.
The four-part series Shared Planet highlights the benefits that come from working with nature, including the more ethical consumer goods that make their way to you.
Can palm oil be orangutan-friendly?
Versatile and inexpensive, palm oil is in about half of the products on store shelves — everything from lipstick and chocolate to laundry detergent.
But palm oil is highly unsustainable. Indonesia and Malaysia produce more than 80 per cent of the world's palm oil, and millions of hectares of tropical rainforest have been cleared for palm plantations — destroying the habitat of wildlife like the orangutan. It's estimated that tens of thousands of orangutans have died over the last 20 years because of palm oil production.
In the heart of oil palm country on Borneo, the Shared Planet team met Mariana (Dadai) Singgong. Born and raised in the Kinabatangan district, she has witnessed first-hand the massive scale of deforestation there.
Now, she's working for a local conservation group, Hutan, and leads a reforestation team, in tandem with the Malaysian government's ambitious plan to replant 100 million native trees across Malaysia.
Hutan has planted more than 220,000 trees in the Keruak Wildlife Corridor along the Kinabatangan River. It reconnects two areas of protected forest, transforming the landscape from a vast monoculture into a mosaic of palms and native species.
The results speak for themselves, as orangutans have moved back into these smaller patches of forest.
The palm oil produced from the plantation that provided some of the land for the corridor is certified as sustainable, and the reforestation efforts are good for business as well.
Don't just drink responsibly — drink ethically
Mexican biologist Rodrigo Medellín is one of the world's top bat experts. He is on a mission to rehabilitate the animal's public image while supporting one of his country's most beloved exports.
Bats are often portrayed as vicious bloodsuckers or carriers of disease. And their PR problem only got worse with COVID-19.
But in Mexico, bats are the main pollinators of the agave plant, which is used to make tequila and mescal.
However, the industry is threatened. Many producers maintain fields of genetically identical plants, leaving entire crops vulnerable to disease.
Additionally, the distillers don't allow the plants to flower as it drains the plant of the sugars that are converted to alcohol to make mescal and tequila. And the bats that would introduce pollen — and much-needed genetic diversity — from wild-growing agaves won't visit flowerless agave farms.
In Shared Planet, Medellín advises mescal producer Don Emigdio Jarquín Ramirez on how to attract bats to his property by allowing a small number of plants to flower.
With Medellín's help, bats are returning to Jarquín Ramirez's agave fields and the mescal brand he distills for, Mezcal Vago, can sell bottles with a bat-friendly label.
What you can do
From palm oil and coffee to mescal and wine, there are a number of wildlife-friendly products you can incorporate into your pantry.
Look for certification: Seek out products that carry recognized wildlife-friendly certifications, such as Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and Bat Friendly.
Research brands: Are the brands you're considering committed to wildlife conservation? Are they transparent about their supply chain? The clearer they are about their manufacturing process, the better.
Read labels: Look closely at ingredient lists to see if they mention sustainable sourcing and wildlife-friendly farming methods.
Shop at a farmers' market: Buying directly from small-scale producers is a great way to learn more about the food you're buying. Smaller operations typically have more wildlife-friendly operations.
Watch Shared Planet on CBC Gem and The Nature of Things YouTube channel.