DuPont Nutrition & Health (Copenhagen, Denmark) has completed its switch to 100 percent-certified sustainable palm oil and palm oil derivatives used in its global emulsifier production. The achievement is the latest milestone since the company pioneered the introduction of sustainable palm oil emulsifiers in 2009.
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 new development means that the remainder of the company’s entire 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, DuPont Nutrition & Health explained the motivation behind this move. “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 recognized, sustainable certification.”
In addition, DuPont recently announced a strengthening of its sustainable footprint for emulsifiers by converting to woodchips at its Grindsted facility in Denmark, which is one of the world’s largest emulsifier plants. The change means a reduction of 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to removing 20,000 average Danish cars from the road for a year.
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 said.
In the coming months and years, DuPont 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. An ambitious and comprehensive sustainable palm oil sourcing policy will also be launched in 2017.
*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 ton of sustainable oil they produce.
For more information, visit www.dupont.com or www.rspo.org/certification.
