Orangutans are under threat because of unsustainable palm oil production

A new WWF survey says a handful of companies are showing real progress in their commitments to buy and use sustainable palm oil.

But sadly, the majority, contrary to their commitments, are failing to buy the product in spite of its availability. Palm oil is used in 50% of all packaged food products sold by supermarkets and yet campaigners claim that an area of rainforest equal to six football fields disappears due to unsustainable palm oil production every minute.

WWF’s Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard assessed the performance of 59 of the most prominent European retailers and manufacturers that buy and use palm oil in products ranging from chocolate bars and ice-cream to soaps and shampoos.

No company achieved the maximum score of 29 points but top of the table for the UK were Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Youngs (Findus), Cadbury, Unilver and The Body Shop.

Languishing at the bottom with zero points were Aldi and Associated British Foods.

Nearly half of the European companies assessed (25) are UK-based – and their performance varied considerably:

• Seven UK retailers and manufacturers scored above 20 points, each showing they have the right policies in place, are monitoring their purchases of palm oil and starting to make good on the commitments that most of them have made to buy certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). Each is also a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

• The majority (17) scored between five and 20 points. Those at the top end of this scale are showing encouraging signs, yet 12 of the 17 companies scored under 50% (14 points or less out of 29), suggesting they have yet to start dealing with palm oil consistently.

• One UK company scored zero. Companies scoring zero are either showing no action on palm oil or even declined to respond to requests for information. These companies really need to up their game, and WWF is willing to help them do so.

WWF opted to grade palm oil buyers after releasing figures in May this year which showed that only a small percentage of the sustainable palm oil available on the market had been bought. The situation is starting to improve slowly. The RSPO has reported that CSPO sales have been growing in the past few months.

The Scorecard comes a week before the world’s largest producers, buyers and traders of palm oil gather for the 7th RSPO in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As such, the Scorecard provides a timely wake-up call to those who are failing to act.

If you would like to find out where – and where not to – buy sustainable palm oil you can view WWF’s scorecard here

Read Daisy Green’s palm oil investigation