A call has gone out to care homes in Gwynedd to support a new campaign against single-use plastic and the wholesale destruction of rainforests to make unsustainable palm oil.

Care Forum Wales is urging care home owners and other social care providers to do their bit to save the planet.

The issue of palm oil hit the headlines recently after Clearcast, the body which assesses adverts against the UK code Broadcast Adverting, banned the Christmas TV advert by Deeside-based Iceland Frozen Food using a Greenpeace animation telling the story of rainforest destruction and the impact on the orangutan.

According to Clearcast, the advert was deemed too political because it highlighted the impact of palm oil on the environment.

The new Care Forum Wales strategy was agreed at a meeting of the Five Nations Group in Cardiff hosted by Care Forum Wales which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The group is also made up of social care representatives from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire.

They particularly want to reduce the use of single-use plastic and palm oil and are asking members to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint.

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “Plastic pollution is a problem we can no longer ignore. It is poisoning and injuring marine life and disrupting human hormones. It is littering our beaches and landscapes as well as clogging our waste streams and landfills. In short, it is now threatening the survival of our planet.

“The Five Nations Group is calling on social care providers to join the battle to combat the increasing menace posed by single use-plastic.

“The social care sector exists to serve the public good. It is an integral part of the rich and vibrant tapestry of our communities. It represents all that is decent about humanity."