No Deforestation Policy
Forests are vital to life on earth. They are a major force in countering climate change by storing carbon dioxide. They provide a livelihood for over 1.6 billion people, habitat for 80 percent of earth’s terrestrial species, and are a source for a variety of products for people and industries worldwide.
It is estimated that over the past 50 years, over half of the world’s forests have been lost. This has led not just to biodiversity loss and social instability, but also furthered climate change. Deforestation of High Conservation Value and High Carbon Stock forests such as tropical rainforests and peatlands has been especially devastating to endangered animal species, and has led to significant release of carbon emissions.
Experts around the world now consider deforestation and climate change to be a major strategic threat, one which could affect each of us and how we live day-to-day. As a socially responsible company we are committed to addressing deforestation. This deforestation policy, based on our core values, is an integral part of the Company’s strategy to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
Colgate-Palmolive operates globally with a set of shared values: Caring, Global Teamwork and Continuous Improvement. These three values serve to guide us in providing products that make people’s lives healthier and more enjoyable every day. Colgate’s values are also the foundation of our commitment to Sustainability – to People, Performance and Planet.
Our commitment to Caring – for people and the environment – motivates us to do our part to end global deforestation.
Our commitment to Global Teamwork means we will work within Colgate and together with external partners on this goal. Given this enormous global challenge requiring the commitment of people around the world, we recognize that our part can only be accomplished through Continuous Improvement… getting better every day in everything we do. We are committed to transparency and believe that it is important for our employees and other key stakeholders, including shareholders, suppliers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to know where we stand on key environmental issues. We share a vision with concerned stakeholders for a future without deforestation. As a start on this journey, Colgate has joined the Consumer Goods Forum ( CGF ) in pledging to mobilize resources to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. As stated in the CGF resolution: “Together we will develop specific, time bound and cost effective action plans for the different challenges in sourcing commodities like palm oil, soya , beef, paper and board in a sustainable fashion. We will also work with other stakeholders – NGOs, Development Banks, Governments etc. – to create funding mechanisms and other practical schemes that will incentivize and assist forested countries to conserve their natural assets and enable them to achieve the goal of zero net deforestation, whilst at the same time meeting their goals for economic development.” Given Colgate’s product mix and our formulas, this commitment is most relevant for four major forest commodities: pulp and paper, palm oil and derivatives, soy and soy oil; and beef tallow.
