Unilever takes stance against deforestation

Unilever says it has decided to suspend future purchases of palm oil from the Indonesian company PT SMART, part of the Sinar Mas group, until such time as they can provide verifiable proof that none of their plantations are contributing to the destruction of high conservation value forests and expanding onto peat lands.

For the past 18 months Unilever, a large user of palm oil, has been scrutinising the activities of its suppliers to ensure that they meet the highest possible sustainability standards.

Early in 2009 Unilever conducted an independent audit of its major suppliers that revealed several areas of concern and are addressed.