People
Unlike many brands Plamil makes its products in its own factory, giving the company greater control over every aspect of production, including the ingredients that it uses. For example it tries to buy from co-operatives wherever possible. For key ingredients, such as cocoa, it chooses suppliers demonstrating high production standards, for example that are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ certified. The company itself adheres to the Ethical Trading Initiative’s base code. For these reasons, it receives Ethical Consumer’s best rating for Supply Chain Management.
Environment
The company also received Ethical Consumer’s best rating for Environmental Reporting. It uses 100% renewable energy in all its own operations and biodegradable packaging for all its bars and internet orders. It has identified certain, high-risk ingredients and made efforts to source these sustainably: for example, all palm oil is purchased from RSPO sources. A significant proportion its products bear Fairtrade or UTZ-certified logos, and all are vegan. As a small company providing social and environmental alternatives, it was exempt from Ethical Consumer’s usual requirement for full environmental reporting.
Animals
Plamil is a vegan company, and most of its products are Vegan Society approved. It also uses its own 'vegan' logo. “This is because the company considers other vegan trademarks which allow for the use of the phrase 'may contain milk/eggs/fish' to not be as high a vegan standard as that to which Plamil aspires.”
Politics
Plamil receives a positive company ethos mark for its commitment to animal rights as an entirely vegan producer. It also takes a strong stance on nanotechnology and GM, which it “does not consider to be compatible with a general ethos of wholesome ('wholefoods') food production”, and does not use in its products. Plamil was therefore considered to have a positive policy addressing these controversial technologies.
Ethical Consumer Best Buy: Yes
Boycotts: No