Initiated in 2008, the review aims to improve corporate understanding of a ‘forest footprint’, essentially trying to highlight the environmental impact businesses have on the world’s forests.
According to the 2009 annual Forest Footprint Disclosure Review, the personal care and household sector had the highest rate of respondents, most of which are based in Europe, the region where consumer sensitivity in this area is at its highest.
The respondent rate is dependent on how many companies reply to the organization's survey, which determines the environmental impact any business’s operations has on forested areas.
L'Oreal gets biggest nod
L’Oreal was heralded as the most progressive company in the category, and was awarded ‘best performer’ as a result.
L’Oreal director of sustainable development, Francis Quinn, underlined the fact that it demands any suppliers of wood fibers for packaging to be FSC or PEPC certified.
“We continuously work with our direct suppliers to improve traceability: for palm oil we have identified the point of origin of 100 percent of our supplies,” Quinn said.
Still plenty of room for improvement
However, the organization also pointed out that the sector still has room for improvement, underlining the fact that the topics of governance, public reporting and sustainable supply chain development were key areas that could be improved.
With specific reference to sustainable supply chain development, the review found that no company in this category had ‘100 percent’ committed to sustainably sourcing the commodities covered by the survey.
Other companies that drew particularly noteworthy performances in this category were LVMH, specifically for its work in sourcing sustainable essences for fragrances in Africa, together with Henkel, Burberry and Adidas.
The survey showed that personal care players that did not disclose information included Procter & Gamble and Colgate Palmolive, while companies that refused to disclose included PZ Cussons and Johnson & Johnson.