Mars Inc., the maker of Snickers and Dove candy, is trimming the ranks of its palm-oil suppliers and says it has now eliminated those that can’t commit to preventing deforestation. The company said on Tuesday that it has reached the point where its palm-oil use is no longer contributing to the clearing of tropical forests - a practice that’s a major contributor to global warming. With fewer suppliers, Mars said it’s easier to verify that the providers are meeting environmental and ethical goals. Mars is using satellite mapping to monitor land use and third-party validation, and says it has asked its suppliers to apply the same rules to all production, including for other buyers. Mars has gotten rid of two major suppliers and 21 second-tier suppliers for not following its protocols. “We have cleaned up our act,” said Barry Parkin, chief procurement and sustainability officer at Mars. He added that the aim is for the changes to improve behavior across the entire industry. “We’re weeding out the bad actors and we’re rewarding the good actors,” he added. About 85% of palm-oil production occurs in Indonesia and Malaysia, and the conversion of peat swamps into palm-oil plantations produces as much greenhouse-gas pollution as nearly half of the global aviation industry.

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