The world’s largest palm oil trader, Singapore-headquartered Wilmar, which controls 45% of global palm oil trade, says it has made “significant progress” towards eliminating deforestation, exploitation and peat land development from its supply chain. But the company is still not entirely satisfied with how much progress it has made. Wilmar’s 2013 commitment was a response to NGO campaigns and an announcement by Unilever – the world’s largest purcser of palm oil – that it would be tracking its supply chain to end its role in deforestation. Environmental non-profit CDP points out that suppliers and buyers of key agricultural forest-risk commodities, including palm oil and soy, are coming under growing pressure to ensure their supply chains do not destroy forests.
The world’s largest palm oil trader, Singapore-headquartered Wilmar, which controls 45% of global palm oil trade, says it has made “significant progress” towards eliminating deforestation, exploitation and peat land development from its supply chain. However, campaigners and industry experts say the company is yet to prove that its suppliers are not responsible for clearing forests or abusing human rights. Wilmar’s 2013 commitment was a response to NGO campaigns and an announcement by Unilever – the world’s largest purcser of palm oil – that it would be tracking its supply chain to end its role in deforestation. Environmental non-profit CDP points out that suppliers and buyers of key agricultural forest-risk commodities, including palm oil and soy, are coming under growing pressure to ensure their supply chains do not destroy forests.