Companies behind everyday products such as toothpaste, packaged bread and chocolate are failing to eliminate the use of palm oil linked with deforestation, research by an environmental group shows.

A survey of 14 companies that made “no deforestation” promises shows none of them can say with certainty there is no deforestation involved in their palm oil supply chain, and none has published a full list of suppliers.

Only one – Italian chocolate maker Ferrero – is able to trace nearly 100 per cent of its palm oil back to the plantation. Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson&Johnson and PepsiCo were declared the worst performers.

“Brands are not doing enough to stop the palm oil industry ransacking Indonesia’s rainforests,” said Annisa Rahmawati, Greenpeace Indonesia’s forest campaigner.

“These companies must have a fully transparent supply chain and ensure they only buy palm oil from suppliers that are protecting our rainforests.”

Palm oil is cheap, versatile and very stable, making it an attractive ingredient. But palm oil production – mostly in Indonesia and Malaysia – has been blamed for habitat loss for endangered species, pollution, social conflicts and human rights abuses.