Avon avoiding Alberta oil

American cosmetics giant Avon has announced it will avoid using fuel derived from the oilsands to distribute its products.

Vice-president Tod Arbogast says they've asked their transportation partners to avoid high-impact, high-carbon fuels such as those from the tarsands.

Concord Transportation has also asked its fuel vendors what steps they are taking to avoid refineries that process oilsands bitumen.

A total of 10 companies have announced a wide range of similar moves to reduce the carbon footprint of moving their goods.

Aaron Sanger of ForestEthics, which is co-ordinating and helping implement the anti-oilsands campaign, says the companies are calling into question the social licence of oilsands fuel.

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers spokeswoman Janet Annesley says she wished the companies had contacted the industry before making the move.

She says the association is disappointed Avon would make such a move without consulting Canadian oil and gas companies.

An Alberta business lobby group, called the Alberta Enterprise Group, is now calling for a boycott of Avon products in response to the company's announcement.