Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation

The report evaluates 30 companies on their palm oil sourcing policies, finding that while some leaders like Nestlé and Unilever have strong commitments, many others rely on inadequate RSPO standards or have no commitments at all. It highlights the severe climate impact of palm oil production, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, where peatland drainage and forest clearing release massive amounts of carbon dioxide. The authors argue for a new industry standard requiring traceable, deforestation-free, and peat-free palm oil to protect biodiversity and mitigate global warming.

• Tropical deforestation, significantly driven by expanding palm oil production, is responsible for approximately 10 percent of annual global carbon emissions.
• Indonesia and Malaysia are the primary producers of palm oil, accounting for roughly 85 percent of the global supply.
• The destruction of peatlands for palm oil is particularly damaging to the climate because peat soils can store 18 to 28 times more carbon than the overlying forest trees.
• The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards are deemed insufficient to fully protect forests and peatlands, as they allow expansion into secondary forests and only suggest avoiding 'extensive plantings' on peatlands over 100 hectares.
• Among the 30 companies scored, the fast food sector demonstrated the weakest commitments, with only McDonald s and Subway receiving points, and neither scoring above 38 out of 100.
• Packaged food companies generally had the strongest commitments, with Nestl e, Unilever, and Mondel ez identified as leaders in forest and peatland protection, traceability, and transparency.
• No company evaluated received full points for traceability, which requires a commitment to trace palm oil back to the plantation level and a requirement for suppliers to report global warming emissions.

APA

May-Tobin, C., & Goodman, L. (2014). Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/deforestation-free-palm-oil-scorecard.pdf

Chicago

May-Tobin, Calen, and Lael Goodman. Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/deforestation-free-palm-oil-scorecard.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=May-Tobin |first1=Calen |last2=Goodman |first2=Lael |title=Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=March 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/deforestation-free-palm-oil-scorecard.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maytobin2014donuts, author = {May-Tobin, Calen and Goodman, Lael}, title = {{Donuts, Deodorant, Deforestation}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/deforestation-free-palm-oil-scorecard.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }