Some of the world’s largest consumer companies are clueless as to whether palm oil they buy from Indonesia is linked to rainforest destruction, new analysis from Greenpeace shows.

The environmental group surveyed 14 companies including multinationals such as PepsiCo, Mars and Unilever, and found that none could confidently claim that no Indonesian rainforest was destroyed in the making of their products.

And only one company, Ferrero, could trace nearly 100% of its palm oil back to the land where it was grown.

“Palm oil is found in so many products, which is why brands have a responsibility to their customers to act,” said Greenpeace’s Annissa Rahmawati. “But our survey shows that brands are not doing enough to stop the palm oil industry ransacking Indonesia’s rainforests.”

The report assessed the companies on three factors – responsible sourcing, transparency and industry reform, and found that many companies fell short of implementing credible zero-deforestation policies.

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil, a vegetable oil used in a wide range of household products, from lipstick to soap to instant noodles, and environmentalists have long argued the industry is a leading cause of deforestation.

According to Greenpeace, PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive were among the worst-performing companies in the report, placed in the lowest “failed promises” category.

Most companies were graded as “getting there” for making some progress toward their zero-deforestation goals, but only two companies, Nestle and Ferrero were considered to be fully on track.

“Consumer companies all performed differently,” Rahmawati told the Guardian, “However, we still see the opportunity for improvement because Indonesia’s forests are in a critical situation.”

Since 1990, Indonesia has lost 31 million hectares of forest, a figure almost equal to the size of Germany.

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A lack of transparency along supply chains appears to be one of the biggest problems, with many companies lacking information about all their suppliers and the practices they are engaged in.

Each year smallholder farmers use slash and burn techniques to clear the land, the cheapest way to make way for new plantations.

Some scientists claim that based on past el Niño trends, the fires could flare up again this year, this time in the easternmost parts of the country.

But even with well-intentioned pledges from companies to protect forests, the realities of operating in Indonesia, issues such as overlapping concession maps and corruption, can complicate commitments on the ground, admitted Dr Eric Meijaard, a conservation scientist from Borneo Futures.

“It is really hard to from a company perspective, but it’s possible and it’s all about commitment,” he said.

Johnson & Johnson declined to comment on the Greenpeace report but said it was committed to sustainable practices.

“Johnson & Johnson has an obligation to preserve the environment and we are implementing programs across the world to limit our footprint and environmental impact,” it said.

The company also added that in 2014 it engaged The Forest Trust to work with the company and its suppliers to share supply chain information and assess compliance to unsustainable practices, such as development on peatland and burning as a land clearance method.