DuPont moves to sustainable palm oil emulsifiers

DuPont Nutrition & Health has completed its move to 100% certified sustainable palm oil and palm oil derivatives in its global emulsifier production.

Following the 2009 launch of the world’s first palm oil emulsifiers from Mass Balance supply chain certified by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the first emulsifiers made with RSPO-certified Segregated palm oil joined the DuPont Danisco range in 2011.

The move means that the remainder of the company’s global range of palm-based emulsifiers is now based on RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil and derivatives, which promotes the production of palm oil with greater consideration of its environmental and social impacts.

Brenda Kelly, business director at DuPont Nutrition & Health, notes, “At DuPont, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact from all of our raw materials, operations and final products. As such, it is clearly critical that we start by obtaining our raw materials with recognised, sustainable certification.”

DuPont initially intended to convert all of its palm-based raw materials to certified sources by the end of 2015, but this transition was delayed by insufficient market demand and a shortage of certain certified palm oil derivatives. RSPO Book & Claim certificates now allow DuPont to fill the gap until conversion to physical supplies can happen.

“Through the Book & Claim system, the intention is to support the growth of sustainable palm oil production over time,” Kelly explains.

In the coming months and years, DuPont says it will continue to encourage its stakeholders in working towards replacing Book & Claim volumes with certified sustainable palm oil from physical supply chains such as Mass Balance, Segregated and Identify Preserved palm oil and derivatives. It will also launch a sustainable palm oil sourcing policy this year.

The Book & Claim supply chain system, endorsed by RSPO, enables producers and end-users to trade certificates. RSPO-certified producers are issued one certificate for every tonne of sustainable oil they produce.

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