Three listed Chinese firms used endangered animal parts as ingredients. The report was published by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a non-profit organization that works to protect the environment.
The EIA report found that Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Tianjin Pharmaceutical Group, and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group used body parts of endangered leopards and pangolins in at least 88 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products.
The use of endangered animal parts in TCM is illegal in China, but the EIA report found that the three companies were able to get away with it by using loopholes in the law. For example, the companies would often mislabel the products or use euphemisms for the endangered animal parts.
The EIA report has called on global investors to divest their stakes in the three companies. Some investors, including Wells Fargo & Co, have already said that they have sold their shares in the companies.
The use of endangered animal parts in TCM is a serious problem. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of endangered animals are killed each year for their body parts. This is a major threat to biodiversity and conservation efforts.
It is important to note that the vast majority of TCM products do not contain endangered animal parts. However, the use of endangered animal parts in TCM is still a significant problem, and it is important to raise awareness of this issue.