The RSPO certification

Palm oil is an ingredient of some of our products. It gives them a creamy consistency and smoothness. It is also a taste carrier and, thanks to its neutrality, does not overpower the other flavours.

Palm oil and its environmental impact

In recent years, palm oil has been one of the most controversial ingredients used in production, mainly for environmental reasons. Many growers continue to acquire it in an unsustainable way, destroying rainforests, disturbing the ecosystem, ruining grasses and rich vegetation, destroying the habitat of local animals. One solution to these problems is to change the way this raw material is sourced. Responsible management of plantations is subject to certification, which confirms the application of strict requirements so that the crops do not adversely affect the environment.

What does it mean that oil is RSPO-certified?

The RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) certification system brings together palm oil growers, producers, sellers and representatives of the FMCG industry, as well as environmental foundations and non-governmental institutions of the world. The task of the organisation is to counteract the negative effects of oil palm cultivation and to promote the production and purchase of palm oil which is produced in an ethical manner, without harming the local population.

Wedel with RSPO certification

Since December 2020, Wedel has held an RSPO certificate in the Mass Balance (MB) standard. The responsible sourcing of raw materials from certified sources is part of our CSR (corporate social responsibility) strategy and is our priority. In accordance with the standard requirements in the Mass Balance model, we monitor the quantity of certified oil in our products, and independent auditors confirm the compliance of our process with the RSPO standard. More than 50% of the palm oil supplied to us – also in complex raw materials – comes from controlled plantations.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

Each year, Wedel will undergo an independent audit aimed at verifying the weight of the certified oil purchased and its content in our certified end products. Such verifications are carried out at every stage of the supply chain of certified palm oil – from the plantation to the producer such as Wedel.

Oil certification has a positive impact not only on the environment but also on the product itself. It improves the quality of the raw material, for example by supervising the proper use of pesticides, the proper harvesting and transport of fruits, which limits damage to them and changes in their quality, and the precise control of production parameters.

Due to the negative perception of palm oil, attempts are being made to boycott it, but any attempt to replace the palm oil used in food products and cosmetics, e.g. with coconut or rapeseed oil, has consequences in the form of even greater environmental degradation. Replacing the oil will not solve the problems, but merely shift them to other regions of the world (where the plantations are located), generate an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and pose a threat to protected fauna and flora. The palm used in the production of palm oil is the most efficient oil plant.

The abandonment of palm oil or any attempts to replace it with other oils lacks economic and environmental justification.
Check our progres at: rspo.org