Unilever Commits to 100% Sustainable Palm Oil By 2014

LONDON and ROTTERDAM, NetherlandsUnilever on Nov. 14 announced that by the end of 2014 the company will source 100% sustainable palm oil for use in its products globally. The pledge is a significant move in its journey to accelerate market transformation toward sustainable palm oil.

Unilever is one of the worlds major buyers of palm oil for use in products, such as margarine, ice cream, soap and shampoo. The company purchases approximately 1.5 million tons of palm oil and its derivatives annually, representing about 3% of the worlds total production.

The company was a founder member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and co-chair the Consumer Goods Forum Steering Group on Sustainability and has led the process that  resulted in the creation of the Tropical Forest Alliance, a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving governments with the goal of eliminating deforestation.

Market transformation can only happen if everyone involved takes responsibility and is held accountable for driving a sustainability agenda. Our progress has been made possible by the commitment and efforts of a number of our strategic suppliers," said Chief Procurement Officer Marc Engel. We will continue to engage with our suppliers, NGOs, governments, RSPO, end users and other industry stakeholders to develop collaborative solutions to halt deforestation, protect peat land, and to drive positive economic and social impact for people and local communities."

Richard Holland, director of WWFs Market Transformation Initiative commended the announcement and said Unilevers 2014 commitment marks a very promising step on the continuing journey toward real market transformation to sustainable palm oil.

Unilevers role and actions have been instrumental on this journey so far. They helped us establish the RSPO in 2004 and have been closely involved in its development into a credible institution and standard," Holland said. But as importantly, Unilever has also matched its commitment with action on buying RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil. We will continue to work with Unilever and others through the RSPO to encourage further certification by growers and buying of certified palm oil by manufacturers and retailers."