Mondelez Reaches 100% Palm Oil Sustainability Goal Early

DEERFIELD, Ill.Mondelez International, Inc., achieved Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) coverage for 100% of the palm oil it bought in 2013. This is two years ahead of the company's existing commitment to cover all requirements by 2015 through a combination of RSPO-certified oil and Greenpalm certificates that support sustainable production.

"Achieving 100% RSPO is an important milestone toward our long-term commitment to only buy palm oil that's produced on legally held land, doesn't lead to deforestation or loss of peat land, respects human rights, including land rights, and doesn't use forced or child labor," said Dave Brown, vice president of global commodities and strategic sourcing. "We recognize the need to go further, so we've also challenged our palm oil suppliers to provide transparency on the levels of traceability in their palm oil supply chains.  Knowing the sources of palm oil supplies is an essential first step to enable scrutiny and promote improvements in practice on the ground."

Early this year, Mondelez plans to review results from suppliers and publish an action plan during the second quarter 2014 to give priority to supplies that meet the company's sustainability principles, and eliminate supplies that do not, by 2020.

The company's work in palm oil is part of a wider commitment to sustainably source key agricultural commodities. Its 10-year, $600 million investments in signature programs Cocoa Life and Coffee Made Happy promote sustainable farming practices, while Harmony, its European wheat sourcing program, is promoting biodiversity and good environmental practices. 

This month, Hershey's also achieved its pledge to source 100% mass-balanced RSPO certified palm oilmore than one year ahead of its original 2015 commitment.