To pigespejderes kampagne mod palmeolie i de populære “Girl Scout Cookies” har fået morgenmadsproducenten Kellogg til at forpligte sig på at undgå palmeolie, der fører til afskovning, skriver Mongabay fredag.
After a campaign waged by two charismatic Girl Scouts over questionably-sourced palm oil used in Girl Scout Cookies, Kellogg Company today announced a policy that will move it toward deforestation-free palm oil.
Under the commitment, Kellogg’s suppliers will have to meet specific sourcing criteria by the end of 2015.
“Kellogg will require all global palm oil suppliers to trace palm oil to plantations that are independently verified as legally compliant; adherent to the company’s principles for protecting forests, peat lands, and communities; and compliant with all Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) principles and criteria,” said the cereal giant in a statement.
“As a socially responsible company, traceable, transparent sourcing of palm oil is important to us, and we are collaborating with our suppliers to make sure the palm oil we use is not associated with deforestation, climate change or the violation of human rights,” said Diane Holdorf, Kellogg Company Chief Sustainability Officer.
In the case of Kellogg’s, its sourcing practices were heavily criticized during a campaign by Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva, Girl Scouts who challenged their organization for its use of palm oil in Girl Scout cookies, which are produced by a subsidiary of Kellogg Company.
By highlighting deforestation and threats to endangered species like orangutans from oil palm plantations, Tomtishen and Vorva catalyzed a movement that eventually forced Girl Scouts USA to commit to sourcing palm oil from less damaging sources.
By establishing a traceability requirement and mandating a segregated supply of certified palm oil, Kellogg has gone beyond what many other companies in the sector have signed off on: commitments to buy GreenPalm certificates representing palm oil certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
While the purchase of GreenPalm certificates helps support more responsible palm oil production, oil from non-certified palm oil still ends up in companies’ supply chains, leaving them open to criticism from environmental groups. By 2016 Kellogg’s will be able to assure customers that it isn’t using palm oil produced at the expense of wildlife-rich forests.
