Eight of the 16 consumer goods giants urged by Greenpeace to publicly disclose their palm oil producers failed to name their producers, according to a March 19 report published by the environmental group.
Greenpeace said Kraft Heinz Co., Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo Inc., PZ Cussons PLC, The J. M. Smucker Co., Kellogg Co., Ferrero S.p.A. and Hershey Co. "refused to reveal" the mills that produced their palm oil and the groups that controlled them despite committing to work toward a clean palm oil supply chain.
Palm oil is used to produce many consumer products, including ice cream, nut spreads, soaps and shampoos, but environmental groups claim that production of the ingredient often involves ruinous environmental and labor practices. Greenpeace said public disclosure of the palm oil producers would show whether the companies "had forest destroyers in their supply chains."
The rest of the companies, including Colgate-Palmolive Co., General Mills Inc., Nestlé SA, Procter & Gamble Co., Mars Inc, Mondelez International Inc., Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC and Unilever, through subsidiaries Unilever NV and Unilever PLC, disclosed the names of their producers.
Greenpeace said the companies are leading members of the Consumer Goods Forum, who pledged in 2010 to protect forests and clean up global commodity supply chains by 2020.
