UPDATE: As of March 2014, General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive announced new policies and Procter & Gamble did the same in early April—write to the other three brands today!

Palm oil, an ingredient in thousands of everyday products from snack foods to shampoo, is ubiquitous in our grocery stores and homes. Unfortunately, the big brands behind our favorite products often use palm oil responsible for tropical deforestation. As tropical forests are cleared or carbon-rich peat swamps are drained and burned to make way for palm oil plantations, carbon is released into the atmosphere, driving global warming and shrinking habitat for endangered species. Tropical deforestation currently accounts for about 10 percent of the world's heat-trapping emissions.

Many of America's top brands—including Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo, General Mills, McDonald's, and Dunkin' Brands—continue to use palm oil that could be wreaking havoc on our environment. They are the leaders in their industries—setting the standard for other food, personal hygiene, and consumer goods corporations. They must set the bar high and make a firm commitment to use only deforestation- and peat-free palm oil.

Tell these major corporations that—for the sake of our atmosphere, tropical forests, peatlands, and endangered species—the time to act is now.