‘Sustainable’ trader challenged

Some of the biggest food companies supplying supermarkets worldwide are buying palm oil from a company allegedly linked to rainforest destruction.

Mars, Nestle, Unilever and Mondelez get ‘‘sustainable palm oil’’ from Wilmar, the world’s largest trader in the product which is used in thousands of items from icecream and chocolate bars to soap and cosmetics.

Wilmar has a no-deforestation policy and belongs to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a certification body. However, an investigation by Greenpeace found that some of its executives had close family links to Gama, a company which the group said has destroyed more than 20,235 hectares of rainforest and tropical peatland in Indonesia in the past five years.

Expansion of palm oil plantations threatens 193 species, including orangutans, gibbons and tigers, according to a report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Kiki Taufik, the head of Greenpeace’s Indonesian forests campaign, accused Wilmar of trying to evade responsibility for deforestation by selling land to Gama, which then cleared it for plantations.

‘‘For years, Wilmar and Gama have worked together, with Gama doing the dirty work so Wilmar’s hands stay clean,’’ Kiki Taufik alleged.

Wilmar said that it would discuss the allegations with Greenpeace and in the meantime had stopped taking palm oil from suppliers allegedly linked to Gama.

Gama did not respond to a request for comment.

‘‘We are assessing the situation and are prepared to take further action should Wilmar International be found to be non-compliant with our deforestation and palm oil policies,’’ Mars said.

Unilever said it had activated its ‘‘grievance mechanism’’. Nestle was concerned to read Greenpeace’s report and would ‘‘ensure that prompt action is taken where required’’.

Mondelez confirmed that Wilmar was one of its suppliers.

The RSPO is investigating. –