Palm oil industry in the spotlight
Palm oil producers and traders are failing to back up their commitments to eliminate deforestation with meaningful action, according to a new report.
Every year, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) rates how the biggest palm oil companies perform against more than 100 sustainability criteria. The latest evaluation on its Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit website found that 49 out of 70 companies pledged to stop cutting down forest in order to create new palm oil plantations. Of those 49 companies, only 19 provided strong evidence of how they monitor deforestation, and only 26 expect their suppliers to match their commitments.
The palm oil issue returned to the spotlight towards the end of 2018, after a banned TV advert, made by Greenpeace for the supermarket chain Iceland, highlighted the negative role of palm oil production in destroying the habitat of orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra.
“Until all palm oil causes zero rainforest destruction, we’re removing palm oil from all our own-label products.” Iceland said.
Speaking at an event organised by the Ape Alliance, ZSL’s Michael Guindon said they didn’t support a boycott. “That just shifts the problem elsewhere,” he said. “We would advocate consumers supporting companies that use products certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.” JF
FIND OUT MORE Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil: rspo.org