April 21, Reuters

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Following are details of some major companies' public commitments to 'sustainable' palm oil:

• Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever, maker of Flora margarine and Dove soap, has pledged to use only certified sustainable palm oil by 2015. The firm, which says it buys about 1.6 million tonnes of palm oil and its derivatives each year, about 4 percent of world supplies, has also said it will have fully traceable supply chains in place for the palm oil it uses in Europe by 2012.


• British supermarket group J Sainsbury has pledged to convert all its own brand products to using only sustainable palm oil by December 2014. So far, it says it has converted its frozen fish category, its basic fish fingers, and its solid soaps. It is also changing its labelling to name palm oil specifically.


• Dutch supermarket group Ahold plans to convert all own brand products in its Dutch chains Albert Heijn and Etos to using only sustainable palm oil by 2015.


• Cosmetics retailer The Body Shop, owned by beauty products group L'Oreal, says the palm oil in its soaps is sourced from a sustainable plantation in Colombia. It also pledged to use RSPO certified palm oil when it is available.


• Swiss supermarket group Migros has publicly stated that it plans to buy sustainable palm oil through the RSPO certification scheme and will aim to ensure that its suppliers are also buying through the system.

Whilst The Palm Oil Action Group acknowledges this as a step in the right direction, and also gives homage to the consumer action that has helped bring these companies on board, we still feel that for a sustainable palm oil certification process to work each plantation must submit to independent verification.

For more information on the RSPO please see our overview and wish list.