Kudos to The Body Shop, which announced today that it has made the transition to sustainable palm oil production. Their press release said the decision to introduce this practice into the beauty industry is “a response to the continued and rapid destruction of the world’s ancient rainforests caused by irresponsible palm oil production.”
Peter Saunders, CEO of the cosmetic retailer, says “Many people who use soap everyday will be unaware that they are contributing to a major environmental catastrophe: the destruction of ancient rainforests and the extinction of endangered species.” Palm oil is a major ingredient in the 14.5 million bars of soap that The Body Shop sells every year, so this is a pretty significant step.
The company is calling on the entire beauty industry to follow their lead in hopes that by the end of this decade, most palm oil production will be sustainable.
Why does this matter? Here are some facts about palm oil provided in the press release:
- Palm oil is one of the world’s most popular vegetable oils. It is used in countless everyday items including cosmetics, household products and foods and is regularly consumed by over a billion people worldwide.
- A huge growth in demand – a six-fold increase since the mid 1980s – has led to the clearance of vast areas of primary rainforests for plantations, particularly in South East Asia.
- At current rates of destruction, around 1.3m hectares of forest – equating to around six football pitches per minute – will be cleared this year in Borneo alone to allow for new plantations.
- Production impacts on the rights of indigenous populations, often creates poor labor conditions and has severe health implications for women working on the plantations.
- Deforestation’s most drastic effect is on endangered animal species such as orang-utans in Borneo and Sumatra, Sumatran rhinoceros and Asian elephant and tigers, all of which are heading towards extinction due to the loss of natural habitat.
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