Eight Greenpeace activists who in March of this year staged a protest at the Cincinnati, Ohio, headquarters of US consumer products giant Procter & Gamble over the deforestation of rainforests to harvest palm oil have been sentenced to 80 hours of community service after pleading guilty on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

The plea bargaining agreement allowed the eight to avoid trial on felony counts of burglary and vandalism, which could have carried sentences of nine years in prison.

In the March incident, the Greenpeace activists slipped by company security and unfurled large, colorful banners from P&G's two towers. All spent a night in jail.

The environmental organization said its affected members will work with their attorneys to perform service in the Cincinnati area for charities that maintain food banks and those helping people with AIDS. Greenpeace also is donating $50,000 to the Cincinnati Recreation Commission.

In April, P&G announced it had adopted a no-deforestation policy for its palm oil supply and would establish traceability of supplies by 2015. Greenpeace called the announcement a huge step in protecting rainforests while saying much work still needed to be done.