Unilever commits to sustainable palm oil usage

Unilever has announced it will be looking to ensure that all of its palm oil procurement is conducted in a sustainable fashion from 2014 onwards.

By the end of next year, the company has pledged to make sure that all of the palm oil it buys globally will be traceable to known sources, thus accelerating the overall market transformation towards sustainable palm oil usage.

Unilever is one of the world’s major buyers of palm oil, purchasing around 1.5 million tonnes of the substance each year for use in the creation of products such as soap, shampoo, margarine and ice cream.

Marc Engel, chief procurement officer at Unilever, said: "Market transformation can only happen if everyone involved takes responsibility and is held accountable for driving a sustainability agenda."

This latest move comes as part of wider efforts by Unilever to operate in an environmentally-friendly manner, while supporting corporate social responsibility projects worldwide.

Last month, the company signed up to the UK government's Responsibility Deal Saturated Fat Reduction Pledge, agreeing to reduce the amount of saturated fat in its products to make them healthier.