Fast-food chain KFC has strongly denied allegations from Greenpeace that some of its packaging contains material sourced from Indonesian rainforests.
The claims, which appeared in a report published by the campaign group, were also rejected by supplier Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), who Greenpeace alleged used timber from rainforests.
A spokesperson for KFC UK & Ireland told SM: “100 per cent of KFC UK & Ireland’s packaging is either recycled or from sustainable sources. Neither KFC UK&I, nor any of our suppliers, source from APP.”
“As far as APP products are concerned, mixed tropical hardwood (MTH) does not come from the felling of virgin tropical rainforests in Indonesia,” the company said in a statement. The firm added it had policies in place to ensure only sustainable wood fibre enters the production supply chain.
The report How KFC is Junking the Jungle said forensic testing and supply chain research showed some packaging, including the KFC streetwise lunchbox and KFC popcorn box contained more than 50 per cent MTH. It went on to say that MTH fibre was from Indonesian forests that are home to endangered species, including the Sumatran tiger.
But the environmental group is standing by its report. Robin Oakley from Greenpeace said: “We have obtained a clear chain of custody that shows KFC buying their products from a company in Cambridgeshire, who buy their paper and pulp from APP.”