The problem with palm oil
Palm oil is used as a raw material in many food products and non-food products like cosmetics and cleaning products. But the rising demand for palm oil has led to large tracts of rainforest being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations.
Finding a solution to help everyone
Palm oil is a very efficient oil, so reformulating to alternative oil that can need up to 9 times more land to produce, could lead to higher deforestation rates. Responsibly managing our forests is one of the quickest and most cost effective ways to curb global warming, as well as conserving wildlife and protecting the rights of indigenous communities.
Working with local projects and certified sources
We are a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a multi-stakeholder group that set the global standard for sustainable palm oil.
From 1 January 2016, 100% of the palm oil used in our own-label food products in Ireland & the UK has been sourced from RSPO physically certified, sustainable sources. This includes all palm oil, palm kernel oil and palm oil derivatives and fractions.
From 1 January 2019, we also converted all of the palm oil in our own-label non-food products to RSPO sources. For our non-food products there are some derivatives and fractions that we are unable to source as physically certified (less than 1%), these will be covered by RSPO Credits until they are available as physically certified or by 2025 at the latest.