More sustainably produced palmoil in food products
Level: Core
The large-scale production of palm oil can entail serious risks for both people and the environment, such as deforestation and decreased biodiversity. The criterium contributes to improving the conditions for a transition towards a more sustainable cultivation of oil palm.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 10886:1
- Group:
- Margarine and oils
Criterion text
Palm oil and/or palm kernel oil, if it is contained in a product, shall be produced in such a way that, at a minimum, it covers the following:
- Implemented routines that ensure that the conversion to agricultural land does not result in deforestation or damage to areas of high conservation value. The evaluation of what is regarded as high conservation value can be undertaken in agreement with the High Conservation Value Approach1, or a similar evaluation method relevant for the geographical area.
- The planting of oil palms on peatlands is prohibited as of November 2018. This applies to both existing and new plantations.
- The use of plant protection products shall be in accordance with the principles for Integrated Pest Management (IPM2). This involves preventing plant protection problems, monitoring the risk of damage in cultivations, need-based measures, as well as following up and evaluating the effectiveness of pest control measures.
It is adequate that the documentation of the traceability of the palm oil/palm kernel oil can be shown through a segregated supply chain (Identity Preserved or Segregated), or through mass balance, or through the principles for credits (Credits/Book and Claim)
1. High Conservation Value Approach, hcvnetwork.org/hcv-approach
2. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Integrated Pest Management concerns a sustainable use of plant protection products. By combining different types of measures, weeds, fungal diseases and pests in the cultivation can be prevented or suppressed. Plant protection measures in your cultivation - Jordbruksverket.se (in Swedish)
Verification
Upon request, the supplier shall be ready to present one of the following, for example:
- Valid licence/certificate for a label/certification that complies with the requirement, for example RSPO (Round table on Sustainable Palm Oil) principles Identity Preserved, Segregated, Mass Balance or Credits/Book and Claim. If the principle Credits/Book and Claim is applied then a certificate issued by RSPO can be shown demonstrating that the proportion of palm oil used in the production of a food product is covered by an equivalent amount of RSPO-Independent Smallholder Credits. Read more about RSPO-credits.
- The supplier's self-declaration including technical documentation of requirement compliance that has been verified by an accredited verification body, accredited for the task according to ISO/IEC 17029 or an equivalent standard.
Proposed follow-up
This requirement can be followed up during the contract period by, for example, spot checks of the product(s) subject to the requirements undertaken on one or more occasions.
Certification
If the requirement has been verified by means of a certification, then the supplier can show that the product(s) comply with the requirements by providing their own evidence or evidence from a subcontractor with, for example:
- Valid licence/certificate for a label/certification that complies with the requirement, for example RSPO (Round table on Sustainable Palm Oil) principles Identity Preserved, Segregated, Mass Balance or Credits/Book and Claim. If the principle Credits/Book and Claim is applied then a certificate issued by RSPO can be shown demonstrating that the proportion of palm oil used in the production of an animal-based food product is covered by an equivalent amount of RSPO-Independent Smallholder Credits. Read more about RSPO-credits.
Self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body
If a self-declaration verified by an accredited verification body is used as evidence for the requirement, ensure that it is verified by a verification body, accredited for the task according to ISO/IEC 17029 or an equivalent standard.
Information about the criterion
The criterium covers conventional food products that contain palm oil and/or palm kernel oil, for example margarine, biscuits and cakes. For composite products with a low content of palm oil and/or palm kernel oil, follow-up can require significant resources, for both the purchaser and the supplier. A market analysis should be undertaken to examine the availability of products that comply with the criterium.
Market analysis (Swedish)
Environmental goals
Motive
The oil palm is an important source of income for many growers. From the oil palm, various products are extracted, including palm oil and palm kernel oil that due to their diverse characteristics can be used in everything from margarine, cakes and biscuits, ready-made meals, to soap and cosmetics.
Oil palm is primarily cultivated in Indonesia and Malaysia. More than one-third of the new plantations that have been established in these areas during the last twenty years have been at the expense of tropical forests and entailed a large negative effect on people, plants and animals1.
Organisations that are willing to support a responsible production of palm oil and/or to balance the effects of the palm oil used in their products, can acquire RSPO-credits. The system of credit trading is a tool to accelerate and increase the conditions for a transition towards more sustainable production methods for oil palm.
Read more about RSPO-credits
In Sweden, there is the Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities that was launched in April 2022. The platform is coordinated by ETI Sverige (Ethical Trading Initiative) and the members of the platform commit to requiring, verified more sustainable soy and palm oil through, for example certification. Similar initiatives exist in other countries.
The Swedish Platform on Risk Commodities
New Regulation on deforestation-free products
In December 2022, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed upon a new regulation on deforestation-free products (EU) 2023/1115. The regulation covers inter alia soy, palm oil, cocoa and other risk-crops connected to deforestation. It is still not completely clear what consequences the deforestation regulation will have on different parties on the market. The regulation will be applied from the 30 December 2024.
Read more about the regulation on deforestation-free products
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 10886:1
- Version date
- 2023-06-29
2023-06-29: 10886:1 New version number. Adjusted name. 10886 spearhead level has been given its own unique requirement ID 11563. Updated requirement text and fair working conditions have been deleted as it should not appear in the technical specification. Added suggestions for follow-up. Updated motif and application.
2020-01-08: Green palm certificate changed to RSPO credits - no version management
6-12-16: Clarified the base level refers to RSPO according to the Book and Claim or Mass balance principles. Evidence Green palm certificate. The spearhead level refers to the RSPO according to the Identity Preserved or Segregated principles. Evidence RSPO or KRAV