Biggest food brands 'failing goals to banish palm oil deforestation'

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/17/biggest-food-brands-failing-goals-to-banish-palm-oil-deforestation?__twitter_impression=true


Commitments to phase out deforestation by 2020 are out of reach for many, reports find

Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent
Thu 16 Jan 2020 19.01 EST

Some of the world’s biggest brands are failing in their commitments to banish deforestation from their supply chains through their use of palm oil, despite making public claims to environmental sustainability, according to two reports.

Scores of the world’s biggest consumer brands have agreed to phase out deforestation through the use of sustainable palm oil by 2020, but this goal looks far out of reach for many, according to separate reports from the campaigning groups WWF and Rainforest Action Network.

Many of the companies highlighted as performing poorly or missing targets are household names, including Kellogg’s, Mondelez and General Mills, whose brands include Yoplait and Häagen-Dazs. In the UK, major brands such as Greggs, Warburtons, Reckitt Benckiser and Associated British Foods also ranked relatively low in the table.

In its annual scorecard report on major companies’ performance in reducing deforestation from their use of palm oil, WWF found that only 15 out of 173 companies surveyed were performing well and “leading the way”.
Thirty companies were judged to be lagging behind, while 41 failed to respond.

The WWF survey awarded companies points out of 22 based on answers to a questionnaire on their practices in sourcing palm oil. Ferrero, the Italian chocolate maker, was the only company to exceed 20 points. The UK retailers Marks & Spencer and the Co-operative Group also scored highly, with 18.75 and 18 points respectively.

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