14 DAY TRIAL // In late February, Greenpeace accused Procter & Gamble of working with palm oil suppliers guilty of destroying natural ecosystems and pushing tigers and orangutans closer to extinction. These accusations were followed by a series of protests held in several regions across the world.
Fast forward a few weeks, and, this past April 8, Procter & Gamble announced that it was to implement measures intended to help it become a tad more environmentally friendly by promoting the use of deforestation-free palm oil.
Thus, the company claims that, under a new no-deforestation policy, it is to take steps towards ensuring full traceability of the palm oil it uses by December 31, 2015. Besides, Procter & Gamble reassures that, by 2020, it will see to it that the palm oil its suppliers provide it with is not linked to forest destruction.
Probably looking to make sure that Greenpeace members and supporters together with other environmental groups will stop badgering it, Procter & Gamble promises that, starting this year, it will release an annual report on the progress it has made to achieve deforestation-free palm oil.
Mongabay informs that, in a statement on the matter at hand, Len Sauers, the company's current vice president on global sustainability, stresses that, since Procter & Gamble gets most of its palm oil from small farmers, the company is to work closely with these people and help them green up their ways.
“P&G will continue to work with each of our suppliers, and we will invest in and work directly with small local farmers, where much of our supply comes from, to improve their production practices,” Len Suaers explains.
Furthermore, “P&G’s commitment to no deforestation in its palm supply chain is unequivocal. We are committed to driving positive change throughout the entire supply chain, not just for us, but for the industry and for the small farmers who depend on this crop.”
Not at all surprising, Greenpeace was quick to applaud the company for its decision to finally take steps towards cutting all ties with forest destruction. The green group hopes that Procter & Gamble will stick to its promise, maybe even achieve deforestation-free palm oil sooner than the established 2020 deadline.
“The important thing now is for P&G to push all its palm oil suppliers to live up to these standards and do this as quickly as possible, in order to make a real difference to the rainforests of Indonesia and the lives of people and tigers that depend on them,” says environmentalist Joao Talocchi.
Interestingly enough, American multinational corporation Cargill, whose working agenda includes trading, purchasing and distributing palm oil, also promised to remove deforestation from its supply chain this April 8. The company made the announcement by means of a letter sent to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.