The cosmetics retailer began phasing in soaps made from sustainable palm oil from a plantation in Columbia in May. Over the next six months all of its soaps will contain the eco-friendly oil.
More than 250 organisations have signed up to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) initiative including 20 retailers. The retailers include Asda, The Co-operative Group, Ikea, Marks & Spencer, Musgrave Budgens Londis, Tesco, Boots and Waitrose.
The retailer said there is no cost or quality implication for the consumer. The Body Shop will absorb the 'slight premium' involved in the creation of the sustainable product.
The Body Shop head of ethical policy Rikke Jarvad Netterstrøm said: 'There is no way that one or two companies can solve these problems alone. It is crucial retailers get behind initiatives like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and send a message down the supply chain that we need to use sustainable palm oil.'
The Body Shop director of global values Jan Buckingham said: 'It is a reflection of the great global problem out there. Climate change was on the corporate agenda two to three years ago. There is not a company that isn't thinking about how it can respond in a more sustainable way.'
Palm oil is used in everyday items including cosmetics, household products and foods and is regularly consumed by more than a billion people worldwide. The initiative will affect 14.5 million bars of The Body Shop soap sold each year in more than 2,200 stores across 57 countries.
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