... but Marks & Spencer questions destruction of rainforests to plant palm trees

10/02/2010 (Malay Mail Online), Petaling Jaya - British retail chain Marks & Spencer has been in Malaysia for decades, and yet it seems to have started a campaign against palm oil back in its home country.

Recently, it put up five-foot displays in its UK stores stating: "We think that destroying rainforests for palm oil is too high a price to pay for a biscuit."

The Malay Mail was alerted to this development by Malaysians in the UK, who wondered why such a respected retail chain has now begun to question one of our country's most important exports.

Marks & Spencer UK corporate public relations representative Emma Johnson took pains to explain that the campaign reflected the retail chain's commitment on sustainable palm oil and other raw material.

"This is not a Malaysian-specific issue — it is about Marks & Spencer sourcing sustainable palm oil from its suppliers regardless of where they are based. It does not single out Malaysia in any way and is in no way disrespectful to the people of Malaysia."

She said under Plan A, Marks & Spencer is committed to using only sustainable raw materials and this is applicable to all commodities.

"Marks & Spencer is proud of the work it has carried out to ensure all of the palm oil used by the company is sustainable — this is why it was chosen to highlight Marks & Spencer’s progress against its sustainable raw material targets.

"Marks & Spencer is committed to only using certified sustainable palm oil in all products it sells by 2015. This is a worldwide policy."

She reiterated that the campaign wasn't specifically directed at Malaysia.

"We recognise that palm oil is an important source of income for many countries, including Malaysia, and that achieving a fully sustainable source won’t happen overnight.

"That’s why we’re working with our suppliers to gradually increase the number of RSPO certified products that we sell. Ensuring we have a sustainable supply of palm oil is crucial to lessening our impact of production on the natural environment."

Johnson went on to explain that the impact of using unsustainable palm oil is seen as an important issue by the UK consumer. Hence, the retail chain put up the displays to mark the third anniversary of their Plan A campaign.

"This campaign highlights a number of high profile achievements that Marks & Spencer has made over the last three years — from a unique partnership with the charity Oxfam to drastically reducing carrier bag usage to sourcing sustainable palm oil.

"Marks & Spencer values its employees and customers in Malaysia and all countries it operates in the world.

This is one reason why it is important that Marks & Spencer is actively minimising the environmental impact of its operations."