CAUSES OF INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION One of the main sources is the pollution caused by energy production. Byproducts produced through industry is another major component of this type of pollution. The release of carbon dioxide gas from various industrial sources is a key cause of global warming. Not until the 18th century, though, when the Industrial Revolution began, did humans begin to have a significant effect on Earth's environment. Steam-powered factories needed an endless supply of burning wood to run. Coal and oil became the predominant source of energy as industry spread across the world. Forms of pollution became varied: radioactive waste, greenhouse gases, heavy metals and medical waste.

The first main source of industrial pollution is the production of electricity. In coal-burning power plants, fly ash is the byproduct of burned coal. Once incinerated directly into the atmosphere, most fly ash in the 21st century is either recycled or stored in vast holding ponds. This latter option, though more environmentally friendly than burning, is not without its own set of hazards. In 2008, more than a billion gallons of fly ash were released when a dike ruptured in a storage pit in Kingston, Tennessee. The rupture destroyed more than 300 acres (121 hectares) of farmland; as of the summer of 2011, litigation over the spill continues.

Greenpeace had claimed Nestle was buying palm oil, a vegetable oil widely used in processed foods, produced by the Sinar Mas group in Indonesia - which it says is involved in illegal logging. Cutting down the rainforest and allowing peat soils below them to dry out is releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is also threatening the orangutan which lives in the forests.

Nestle has announced it will stop buying palm oil from suppliers which are contributing to the destruction of the rainforests. Greenpeace launched a campaign two months ago warning that palm oil used by Nestle was contributing to the destruction of the rainforest. Nestle announced two months later it was linking up with non-profit organisation The Forest Trust (TFT) to review its palm oil supply chain and audit suppliers for evidence of illegal activity.

Forests and peat lands are being cleared to cultivate oil palms and Nestle is using over 320,000 tons of palm every year sourced mainly from the Sinar Mas group, Indonesia’s largest producer of palm oil, which burn and plunder the rainforests. Most of the popular products of Nestle including Nestlé Crunch, Coffee Matee, and PowerBar use palm oil. To reduce the pressure on the tropical forests, a group of stakeholders, producers and retailers, formed the Round table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) way back in 2004 which is a global initiative on sustainable palm oil, his principal objective is “to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through co- operation within the supply chain and open dialogue between its stakeholders”. The world’s largest buyer of palm oil and Kraft are promoting this sustainable cause. This scandal has put a serious blotch on the reputation of Nestle, which is yet to come clear of the milk powder scandal in Africa. In the 1970s Nestle was accused of getting third world mothers hooked on formula, which is less healthy and more expensive than breast milk.

In 2010 the world's largest food and drinks conglomerate, Nestlé has decided to stop using palm oil linked to rainforest destruction. Monitoring the commitment,The Forest Trust will ensure that no products come from companies that own or manage "high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation."Nestlé and TFT worked together on criteria that will ensure all palm oil purchases will: Be derived from plantations and farms operating in compliance with local laws and regulations; Protect high conservation value forest areas; Support the free prior and informed consent of indigenous and local communities to activities on their customary lands where plantations are developed; Protect peatlands; Protect forest are of 'high carbon' value. Nestlé policy states that by 2015 the entirety of its palm oil purchases will come from sustainable sources, rising from 18% today and a projected 50% by the end of Though this commitment only applies to palm oil, Nestlé has indicated that it is "studying its supply chains to determine a similarly ambitious target for the pulp and paper it uses."

Greenpeace said McDonald's Corp. was fueling the destruction of the Amazon rainforest by using soybeans grown in the region as feed for chickens that end up served in the fast-food chain's European restaurants. "Fast Food giants like McDonald's are trashing the Amazon for cheap meat. Every time you buy a Chicken McNugget you could be taking a bite out of the Amazon," Greenpeace forests campaign coordinator Gavin Edwards said by telephone from London.

Greenpeace argues that much of the soybean production in the Amazon is illegal because strict environmental regulations requiring landowners in the region to keep 80 percent of their forested areas standing, but these regulations are often ignored. To call attention to the report's finding, Greenpeace plastered many McDonald's restaurants in the United Kingdom with posters of Ronald McDonald wielding a chain saw. The group also had dozens of people in chicken costumes invade McDonald's restaurants, chaining themselves to the chairs, said Edwards.

Brazil's rainforest is the size of Western Europe and covers 60 percent of the country's territory. Experts say as much as 20 percent of its 1.6 million square miles has already been destroyed by development, logging and farming.

But there are some multinationals who respect the environment while they’re working. One of them is the italian “Barilla”. Infact the scope of Barilla’s commitment to the Earth is to conserve its bounty and beauty for future generations, in order to transmit the values and traditions that sustain long term human and environmental development.

With the Sustainable Business report, Barilla try to show how “doing business” and “doing sustainability” are not two different paths, but two ways of reading a single business approach.

Following the Commitment Letter signed by the Vice President Mr Paolo Barilla, on December 15th, 2011, Barilla was officially welcome in the UN Global Compact, the world largest Corporate Responsibility voluntary Initiative launched by the former United Nations Secretary - General Kofi Annan in 1999 and now lead by H.E. Ban Ki - Moon. The company believes the inclusion in the UN Global Compact will constitute a great opportunity to share its experience in the field of sustainable business with other companies, Institutions and civil society worldwide. Meanwhile, it is convinced that this could create a long term business advantage in partnering with our suppliers and to meet People's needs in Barilla's operating countries. As a participant of the UN Global Compact, Barilla will also support the Italian Global Compact Local Network.