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Iceland is to stop using palm oil in own-brand products by the end of 2018.

The Deeside-based chain - the first major UK supermarket to ban palm oil - said it was used in more than half of its products, from biscuits to soap.

Iceland said growing demand for the oil was devastating tropical rainforests across southeast Asia.

The frozen food specialist said it was alerted to the environmental challenges that palm oil presented by campaigners at Greenpeace.

The ban only applies to Iceland-brand products, meaning other products sold by the retailer may still contain palm oil.

Iceland managing director Richard Walker said there was "no such thing" as properly sustainable palm oil.

"Certified sustainable palm oil does not currently limit deforestation and it does not currently limit the growth of palm oil plantations," he told the BBC. "So until such a time as there is genuinely sustainable palm oil that contains zero deforestation, we are saying no to palm oil."

Mr Walker said the move would increase costs but they would not be passed on to customers: "There will be an extra cost but we think it's the right thing to do."

Why is palm oil controversial?

Palm oil production is said to have been responsible for about 8% of the world's deforestation between 1990 and 2008

Burning large areas of forests to clear areas where oil palms can be grown has also been blamed for high levels of air pollution in South East Asia

Palm oil is used in almost half the products stocked by UK supermarkets and can be found in everything from shampoos to biscuits, as well as biofuels

Some experts say eating palm oil is unhealthy because it is high in saturated fat

EU labelling laws were changed in 2014 so products must now state specifically if they contain palm oil

One species affected by palm oil production is the orangutan population.

In some regions, oil palm cultivation has resulted in deforestation, leaving species that lived in virgin forest without a home.

Some palm plantations have been developed without consulting local communities over the use of their land, or even caused them to be forcibly displaced.

There are organisations dedicated to finding ways of producing palm oil more ethically and sustainably and a growing number of players in the palm oil industry have committed to adopting more sustainable practices.

Despite the high level of concern over the effect palm oil has on the environment in countries where it is grown, a survey of more than 5,000 UK consumers found about a third were not sure what palm oil is.

However, once they were told about effects on the environment, 85% said they did not think it should be used in food products.

Iceland says it has already found alternative recipes for 50% of its own-label range.

The store chain has a history of acting to remove controversial products from its shelves.

It was the first supermarket to ban GM-grown crops in its own-brand goods, and earlier this year said it would eliminate or drastically reduce plastic packaging of all its own-label products by the end of 2023.

Last year, the Bank of England considered the use of palm oil in its future banknote production, following complaints over the use of animal-derived tallow in its polymer notes.

The Bank launched a public consultation, receiving responses from 3,554 people. Of those who expressed a preference, 88% were against the use of animal-derived products and 48% objected to the use of palm oil-derived additives.

However, any switch to palm oil was ruled out as the Bank said its suppliers were "unable to commit to sourcing the highest level of sustainable palm oil".

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Iceland is to stop using palm oil in own-brand products by the end of 2018. The Deeside-based chain - the first major UK supermarket to ban palm oil - said it was used in more than half of its products, from biscuits to soap.

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Iceland supermarkets to ban palm oil in all products

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comprehensive and informative. videos text. An excellent page all roud!

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A report for the Bank of England, which considered using palm oil in the production of the new £20 note, explained: "Forest fires, started to clear land for oil palm, release high levels of carbon dioxide and black carbon (soot) into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change."

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What is palm oil and why is it thought to be bad?

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Palm oil is a kind of vegetable oil, like sunflower or rapeseed oil but many consider it to be bad for the environment.

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David is talking here about plant competition in the forest

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Tree and plant life in the jungle - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife

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Want more natural history and wildlife videos? Visit the official BBC Earth channel: http://bit.ly/BBCEarthWW BBC Earth The BBC Earth YouTube channel is home to over 50 years-worth of the best animal videos from the BBC archive. With three new videos released every week there's something for all nature loves from astounding animal behaviour to beautiful imagery.

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Like what you did in primary school, but in more detail

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Rainforests | Geography - Ecosystems and Biomes

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Suitable for teaching 11-16s. Ferne Corrigan explains the climate and the plants and animals living in the different layers of the rainforest biome, with a particular focus on the adaptations of the teak tree, the Indian elephant and humans that live there.

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150,000 Orangutans have died due to deforestation

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150,000 Orangutans have died due to deforestation

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Nearly 150,000 Orangutans Lost to Logging, Palm Oil, and Human Conflict | National Geographic

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Nearly 150,000 orangutans vanished from Borneo over a 16-year period, a new study found. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.

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What do Tropical rain forests look like?

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What do Tropical rain forests look like?

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Short clip with no voice over

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BBC Bitesize - KS3 Geography - Images of a tropical rainforest biome (no narration)

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Images and sounds from a tropical rainforest ecosystem.

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Excellent on Palm oil and deforestation

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You wash with it, you brush with it, you toast it, it's in 50% of what you buy - but what's the real story of palm oil? Use the interactive below to trace the journey of palm oil from the rainforest through to your kitchen cupboard
Does the story of palm oil affect your buying habits? Put your palm oil questions to a panel of experts in our online live chat

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From rainforest to your cupboard: the real story of palm oil - interactive

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You wash with it, you brush with it, you toast it, it's in 50% of what you buy - but what's the real story of palm oil? Use the interactive below to trace the journey of palm oil from the rainforest through to your kitchen cupboard

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INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol

CONTAINS: Palm oil

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Which Everyday Products Contain Palm Oil? | Pages | WWF

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INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol CONTAINS: Palm oil