Procter & Gamble (P&G) axed a corporate pledge to avoid buying pulp from degraded forests, Reuters reported Wednesday.
A P&G executive disclosed the policy change in a July 18 briefing, Reuters reported. Jack McAneny, P&G vice president of global sustainability, said the company “recently streamlined” forest commodity policies since the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maintained “a widely applied definition of forest degradation is unavailable,” according to Reuters.
The move is a “step backward,” Leslie Samuelrich of P&G investor Green Century Funds told the outlet.
Gaurav Madan, a Friends of the Earth campaigner, described the company’s justification for the policy change as “insufficient,” Reuters noted.
Focus: P&G drops forest pledge, drawing ire of green groups, investors https://t.co/Q4D8xo0ksg pic.twitter.com/Ntr2PFnPoJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 26, 2023
Shelley Vinyard of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) claimed there was a consensus among environmental groups that forest degradation can potentially threaten endangered species habitats, per Reuters.
P&G risks violating an upcoming European Union (EU) law against goods related to forest degradation and deforestation, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Toilet Paper Prices Soar As Companies Shrink The Item Itself)
“For every tree we use in our paper products, at least two are regrown,” Tonia Elrod, P&G vice president of family care reportedly claimed. Elrod added the company maintains policies against deforestation, according to Reuters.
P&G is the parent company of Charmin toilet paper and purchases large quantities of pulp, per Reuters.