Abstract
For over five decades, environmental activists have advocated for commodity boycotts as a solution to deforestation, targeting tropical timber around the 1980s and 1990s, paper and pulp around the 1990s and 2000s, and palm oil since the 2000s. These campaigns often oversimplify complex issues by attributing deforestation primarily to specific commodities and promoting boycotts as a definitive solution. This study reviews three recent calls to action – "ban palm oil," "boycott palm oil," and "sustainable palm oil" – and their associated hashtags (#Boycottpalmoil, #ProtectPongo, #SaveOrangutans) to assess their impact on consumer behavior and deforestation rates in Indonesia. Utilizing data from satellite imagery, literature reviews of over sixty relevant publications, and social media trend analysis from platforms such as Google Trends and change.org, we found that these boycotts have not significantly influenced the trends in Indonesia’s deforestation rates, particularly following a notable decline after 2016. Our findings suggest that while these campaigns may resonate with consumers, they are largely ineffective in addressing the multifaceted drivers of deforestation. We advocate for a shift towards supporting credible initiatives that promote sustainable practices rather than relying on boycotts as a primary strategy for environmental change.