Head & Shoulders faces pressure over palm oil sourcing practices in Indonesia
Procter & Gamble is facing pressure from environmental group Greenpeace over concerns that its Head & Shoulders brand sources palm oil from companies that cut down rainforests in Indonesia.
In a digital campaign, Greenpeace claims that P&G has a “dirty secret” and subverts Head & Shoulders’ ‘100% flake free’ slogan to the new claim, ‘100% rainforest destruction’.
The group is using Twitter (hashtag #protectparadise) and Facebook to drive people to a microsite where it calls on supporters to sign and share a pledge if they agree that “we should be able to wash our hair without wiping away rainforests.”
Greenpeace claims that P&G’s palm oil sourcing practices are endangering species such as the Sumatran tiger. Head & Shoulders “cannot guarantee its products are free from forest destruction,” the NGO says.
In a statement, P&G told Mumbrella that the company is “committed” to sourcing palm oil from environmentally sustainable suppliers.
“We have an existing goal to confirm that 100 per cent of all palm oil purchases are sustainably sourced by 2015, and are working with our suppliers to ensure we deliver on this commitment,” a company spokeswoman said.
“P&G is strongly opposed to irresponsible deforestation practices and takes any allegation of impropriety by our suppliers as very serious and fully investigates all claims.”
The company says it is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and supports the RSPO criteria for sustainable palm oil. It is also part of the working group on the sustainable sourcing of palm oil derivatives, the company said.
The Greenpeace campaign links to the Head & Shoulders Facebook page, where Greenpeace supporters have been posting comments to apply pressure on the brand.
Companies that supply P&G with palm oil linked to forest clearance are BW Plantations, Kuala Lumpur Kepong and Musim Mas, Greenpeace says. The NGO has produced a report detailing the connections between P&G and its palm oil suppliers that can be read here.
Greenpeace’s #protectparadise campaign comes soon after the group publically backed a paper company it has battled with for many years, Asia Pulp & Paper, that has pledged to stop its deforestation activities in Sumatra.
Then why don’t Greenpeace put pressure on BW Plantations, Kuala Lumpur Kepong and Musim Mas instead of H&S?
ReplyBecause H&S is a known brand and bashing the product will make more buzz than these companies.
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