Chocolate company Mars has decided to join Unilever and Nestlé in their commitments to a sustainable palm oil sector. Mars signed up to the Roundtable on Sustianble Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2010 but now they join other companies in taking a step further, requiring all of their suppliers to have fully sustainable and traceable palm oil supply by the end of 2015. If this is not possible they will ensure that such plans are at least put into place by the end of 2015.
Greenpeace has noted that this is another important step to move beyond the RSPO and become more ambitious, providing consumers with forest-friendly products.
The Mars palm oil commitment and policy is described on their website here. You can read coverage of the story here and here.
NB: while all these commitments are useful steps, it would be interesting to have more information on how their implementation is monitored and verified, given the complexity of the issues. If any FCRN members have insights on this, and would like to comment please do so in the comment box below this story on the website or by contacting us.
You can read more about sustainable palm oil and RSPO here and industry actions here.
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