28/09/2009 (Environmental Leader) - Seventh Generation aims to exclusively use certified sustainable palm oil for its household products by 2012.

Palm oil is used in foods, drugs, personal care items and detergents by many companies. Seventh Generation uses palm oil in its plant-based surfectants.

Over the next two years, Seventh Generation will identify what it considers to be responsibly managed sources of palm oil, according to a press release. Then, Seventh Generation will require that its palm oil suppliers be certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

Earlier this year, figures showed that only 1 percent, or about 15,000 tons, of sustainable palm oil available on the market was being purchased, prompting the World Wildlife Fund to begin developing a scorecard for manufacturers’ use of sustainable palm oil.

After widespread consumer protests, Cadbury New Zealand earlier this year decided to eliminate palm oil from its dairy milk chocolate products.