In an updated policy statement, KFC UK/Ireland has commited to excluding packaging suppliers actively involved in rainforest clearance.
The move came after pressure from environmental groups, including Greenpeace, who were critical of the fast-food company's involvement with a controversial Asian pulp and paper manufacturer. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has been linked to the pulping of endangered Indonesian rainforest.
In effectively ruling out future involvement with the supplier, KFC UK/Ireland have followed in the footsteps of a number of other international brands including Disney, Nestlé and Unilever.
Greenpeace rainforest campaigner Ian Duff welcomed the move, commenting that the company's customers in the UK and Ireland will be pleased that their purchases will no longer be contributing to environmental damage.
“Millions of KFC customers... will be relieved to hear that their meals no longer contribute to the destruction of pristine Indonesian rainforest, the place endangered species like the Sumatran tiger call home. By walking away from companies like the increasingly 'toxic' APP brand, KFC is sending a strong message to the business community that it's not acceptable to buy from companies that are turning the rainforest into rubbish.”
