Photo by Madalyn Cox
Sweden-based alternative milk company, Oatly, is receiving pushback from customers after the company sold a 10% stake in July to private equity firm, Blackstone Group, to fund their international expansion.
The firm’s CEO is Stephen A. Schwarzman, a donor to President Trump, and Blackstone is also invested in Hidrovias do Brasil, a company that has taken part in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
Oatly, which has greatly popularized oat milk the last few years, has publicly responded on Twitter: “We have a clear mission at Oatly to drive the change towards a plant-based diet and a more sustainable world. As a sustainability company we are committed to do anything in our power to make the systems in which we operate more sustainable– this includes global investments and global cash flow. With the invested money we were able to make sure that Millions of Dollars went towards sustainability. Nothing about the Oatly values has changed or will change in the future.”