New report highlights British corporate links to environmental destruction in West Papua

The report, Bringing it All Back Home: The Role of British Companies in the Destruction of West Papua, is co-authored by Professor David Whyte and Samira Homerang Saunders from Queen Mary’s School of Law. It presents the first comprehensive audit of British involvement in extractive industries and large-scale agriculture in the region.

The research details how UK financial institutions, corporations and investors are connected to deforestation, mining operations and gas production projects in West Papua, and considers the social and environmental consequences for Indigenous communities.

Key findings include:

• British shareholders, including HSBC, Prudential, Legal & General and abrdn, are backing palm oil companies driving the world’s largest ongoing deforestation project in Merauke.

• UK financial institutions, such as Barclays and Rathbones, hold shares in Freeport-McMoRan, which operates Grasberg, the world’s largest gold mine and second-largest copper mine. The mine discharges 300,000 tons of untreated waste into local rivers every day.

• BP’s Tangguh LNG facility in West Papua has displaced local villages, damaged mangrove forests and is estimated to generate more than 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon emissions.

• The British government has also supported Indonesia through arms exports and military training linked to security operations in the region.

Professor David Whyte, Director of the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice, said:

“British companies and shareholders are not innocent bystanders. They are profiting from a conflict that involves torture, extrajudicial killings and mass displacement. Until Papuans have control over their own resources, the cycle of repression and destruction will continue.”

Samira Homerang Saunders, co-author of the report, said:

“This report shows that British involvement is not only driving environmental destruction but is also undermining the survival and dignity of Indigenous Papuan communities. Climate justice cannot be separated from human rights.”

The report was launched in Parliament on Tuesday 9 September 2025 with support from parliamentarians and campaigners.

Read the full report:
Download Bringing it All Back Home (PDF)