April 21 (Reuters) - A drive to improve the green credentials of palm oil, used in foods and cosmetics but tainted for some by links to deforestation, could make it too expensive for shoppers and may anyway be of limited environmental benefit.
The Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is trying to boost trade by asking some of its 266 members to publicly state their commitment to converting to sustainable palm oil.
But many firms are shying away from discussing their palm oil use, as the issue of "green" palm remains contentious.
Following are details of some major companies' public commitments to 'sustainable' palm oil:
* Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever * British supermarket group J Sainsbury has pledged to
convert all its own brand products to using only sustainable
palm oil by December 2014. So far, it says it has converted its frozen fish category,
its basic fish fingers, and its solid soaps. It is also changing
its labelling to name palm oil specifically. * Dutch supermarket group Ahold plans to convert all own
brand products in its Dutch chains Albert Heijn and Etos to
using only sustainable palm oil by 2015. * Cosmetics retailer The Body Shop, owned by beauty products
group L'Oreal, says the palm oil in its soaps is sourced from a
sustainable plantation in Colombia. It also pledged to use RSPO
certified palm oil when it is available. * Swiss supermarket group Migros has publicly stated that it
plans to buy sustainable palm oil through the RSPO certification
scheme and will aim to ensure that its suppliers are also buying
through the system. (Sources: RSPO, Unilever, J Sainsbury, Ahold, L'Oreal,
Migros) (Reporting by Catherine Hornby, editing by William Hardy)