conversation

To: enq@naturesorganics.com.au
Subject: re: plam oil in product

From: Natalie Clark [mailto:natalie-c@windowslive.com]

Hello,

I was delighted to discover your range in my local supermarket in NZ. I just wanted to inquire about the palm oil you use in your shampoo - where it comes from, if it is 'guilt-free' i.e. not contributing to deforestation??

Regards,

Natalie.

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From: help@naturesorganics.com.au
To: natalie-c@windowslive.com
Subject: RE: plam oil in product

Dear Natalie,

Thank you for contacting us.  We share your concerns with the supply shortages of palm oil and the impact this is having on old growth forests in south East Asia and the resultant devastation to the habitat of the Orangutans and other at risk animal species.

Although we do not purchase palm oil directly from plantations we have obtained written confirmation from all our ingredient suppliers ensuring that the palm oil used in our ingredients is not from areas cleared of old growth forests.  We have also banned any surfactants produced from palm oil which has originated from Indonesian and Borneon plantations.  This ensures that any product we produce does not have palm oil derived ingredients which have come from newly deforested areas. 

We are continuously looking into alternative sustainable materials but our choices are limited to what is commercially viable and readily available in the global market. At present, the only plant derived substitute to palm kernel oil in cleaning/cosmetic production is coconut oil.  Unfortunately there simply isn’t enough supply to meet demand and there are not any suppliers willing to guarantee a sole coconut source due to this lack of availability.  There is also a compounding issue in that coconut needs to be grown in the same climate as palm oil, yet one hectare of coconut palms yield less than one third the amount of oil as one hectare of oil palms.  The obvious conclusion if everyone stopped using palm and started using coconut is that over three times the amount of land would be needed to produce the same amount of palm oil.  The only other alternatives to palm or coconut are derived from petrochemicals or animal fats. 

Manufacturers in the food industry are able to substitute palm with other oils, for instance canola or soybean oil, but we cannot use these oils, as they don't contain the required fatty acid composition.  The food and Bio Fuel industries account for 90% of the palm oil usage and their increase in demand has led to the deforestation issues.

There is no requirement for us to divulge the type of oil used to produce our products. We choose to state our ingredients openly. Many manufacturers do not provide such information on the labels of other products. Palm oil is in fact classed as a vegetable oil so any product containing "vegetable oil" as an ingredient, including food products, could potentially contain palm oil.

We have been using palm oil for our cleaning/personal care products for over 30 years, as have many manufacturers in this industry. This palm oil was sustainably grown and no animal species were at risk. The problems that have arisen over the last 10 years are due to the food industry utilising this ingredient because it is much cheaper than other food oils, and the rapidly expanding biofuel industry. Cosmetic and cleaning companies use less than 10% of current palm oil production; the biggest threat to the future of the south East Asian rainforests are these other swiftly developing industries.  

We are in the process of reformulating all of our products with some new sugar and corn derived surfactants but this takes time and these new ingredients have only recently become available. Unfortunately, at this present time we cannot get away from the fact that all surfactants and detergents come from petroleum, animal, or coconut and palm derived ingredients. We are ensuring, however, that our palm derived surfactants are sourced from sustainably grown plantations. 

Natures Organics can assure you that we are committed to protect the environment and all of its creatures.

Kind regards,

Emma Butler

Customer Service

Natures Organics

31 Cornhill St

FERNTREE GULLY

VIC 3156

Tel: (03) 9753 5577

Fax: (03) 9753 5177

www.naturesorganics.com.au

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