Posted on enero, 22 2002

Zurich, Switzerland - Switzerland's largest retail chain, Migros, in collaboration with WWF, the conservation organization, today became the first European retailer to commit to source all of its palm oil from plantations that have not been established at the expense of tropical forests. Palm oil is used in a wide range of consumer products, from margarine to lipstick and detergent. However, in the major producing countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, tropical forests are cut down in order for palm oil plantations to be put in their place. The global production of palm oil has doubled over the last decade to reach 23 million tonnes per year, and over 10 million hectares are now under plantation. WWF research shows that together with illegal logging, forest conversion to oil palm is now the major threat to tropical rainforests in Indonesia. Startled by the pictures of the catastrophe caused by this forest conversion, Migros decided that it wanted to ensure that its products made of palm oil would not threaten tropical forests. It therefore contacted WWF for assistance in developing a list of minimum environmental and social criteria for its palm oil products. "We must react to dangerous development such as the expansion of palm oil plantations at the cost of natural forests by taking decisive action with partners from the business world", said Andrea Ries, Head of WWF Switzerland's Forest Department. "Consumer demand for palm oil produced according to ecological criteria can help save tropical forests. European countries play an important role here as major buyers and investors and WWF urges them to switch to ecologically-sound palm oil." Among other criteria, ecologically friendly palm oil plantations must not be established on recently deforested land, and they have to include measures to secure wildlife and forests corridors. This helps to protect highly endangered species of animals, such as the orang-utan, the Sumatra tiger, the Asian elephant or the Asian rhinoceros that currently face loosing their habitat to palm oil plantations. In addition, such production might help to reduce the likelihood of devastating forest fires such as those that hit Indonesia in 1997 and were largely caused by burning forests for land clearance and palm oil tree plantations. Migros, whose total annual turnover amounts to approximately 20 billion Swiss Francs (around US$12 billion), is the largest Swiss buyer of palm oil which it uses in a range of products. At a press conference today in Zurich, Migros presented its margarine that is made out of ecologically sound palm oil. "Our goal regarding our palm oil products has not yet been achieved, but the first step has been taken," said Urs Riedener, Head of Marketing Food and Near Food, at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Migros' first delivery of palm oil came from Ghana and has been produced by using sustainable methods. The Ghana Oil Palm Development Company Ltd. has committed to comply with the criteria stipulated by Migros. For further information: Andrea Ries, Head of WWF Switzerland's Forest Department, tel.: +41 79 236 96 20 or +41 1 297 21 21 Olivier van Bogaert, Press Officer, WWF International, tel.: +41 22 364 95 54 NOTE TO EDITORS: • Migros is a member of WWF WOODGROUP, the Swiss buyers group, and has committed that from 2005 it will only sell wood certified under the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Migros is also part of the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN). For more info on the GFTN: www.panda.org/forestandtrade