No excuses for using unsustainable palm oil, WWF says

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) believes companies having a negative impact on environmental health by purchasing unsustainable palm oil have "no excuses".

According to leaders of the organisation, more firms are now buying certified palm oil that has been produced without causing vast damage to forests and wildlife.

Indeed, senior policy officer at WWF UK Adam Harrison said it has "never been easier" for corporations to buy environmentally-friendly versions of the substance, but he also insisted some enterprises are still lagging behind.

Despite the improvement, the WWF Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard 2011 showed less than half of the fuel purchased by global corporations is from an ethical source.

"We only have a few years left to act - all companies, even some of the top performers, need to move faster," Mr Harrison commented.

Earlier this month, the WWF warned the UK that scaling back on its renewable energy targets would be "an own goal".

Posted by Claire Manning