Six Henkel production sites in Europe have received certificates for operating in line with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Supply Chain Certification Standard in 2017. This achievement builds on the successful certification of the company’s global supply chain organization, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and represents the latest step forward in Henkel’s commitment to promoting sustainable palm oil along the entire value chain.
The RSPO is a multi-stakeholder initiative that supports sustainable practices in the global palm oil industry. Its Supply Chain Certification Standard requires an organization or production site to have a solid system in place for controlling the flow of materials derived from the oil palm fruit – particularly those materials that have been certified as sustainable. The standard can be applied at every stage of the value chain, from mills and refineries through to manufacturers, like Henkel. Many of Henkel’s products use ingredients based on palm-related materials: The majority is surfactants based on palm kernel oil, which is extracted from the seeds of the palm fruit. These ingredients are active washing substances in Henkel’s detergent and cosmetic products.
Following independent external audits in 2017, Henkel has received certificates covering six production sites: Düsseldorf, Wassertrüdingen (Germany), Ferentino, Lomazzo (Italy), Montornès (Spain), and Vienna (Austria). The positive outcome recognizes the company’s transparency about the amount of certified materials bought, used in its products, and claimed during open dialog with retailers and other partners. The certification enables Henkel to provide evidence of its commitment to promoting sustainability in the palm oil industry: This is particularly valuable for its customers, as retailers are assured of Henkel’s support in driving progress toward their own targets for supply chain sustainability and palm-related materials. The certificates are publicly available on the RSPO’s website.
“We are very proud that these production sites have been awarded this certification – and we have already scheduled activities that aim to achieve the same certification for further sites around the world,” said Wolfgang Weber, Director of International Safety, Health, Environment and Quality in Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business unit. “The achievement is another important step forward in our commitment to driving physical transformation of the palm oil market. It is an example of how our hard-working teams use their knowledge and engagement to make sure sustainability is embedded throughout our business, and to strengthen our contributions to addressing major global challenges.”
Promoting sustainable palm oil
Henkel’s approach to promoting sustainable palm oil along the entire value chain is built around three specific targets for 2020 that focus the company’s efforts on key challenges. The targets are:
- To cover 100 percent of its demand for palm materials with oils certified according to the RSPO’s “Mass Balance” program.
- To establish full traceability of the palm materials used in its products, first to the mill then to the plantation.
- To increase the supply of sustainable palm materials on the global market by a volume equal to its own demand through collaborative projects that support smallholder farmers.
To achieve these targets, the company aims to strengthen the impact of its contribution by engaging in partnerships, projects and dialog with key players from across the palm oil industry. Partners range from suppliers through to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and smallholder farmers.
Active support for farmers
For example, the company is actively engaged in projects that support oil palm farmers in Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria – and plans to enter into additional partnerships going forward. The projects provide training in efficient and sustainable farming methods, which enables small farmers to increase productivity, certify their crops as sustainable, and improve their livelihoods. In 2016, a three-year project conducted in partnership with the international development organization Solidaridad, as well as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), SNV Netherlands Development Organization and the Proforest Initiative in Honduras was completed. It reached over 17,500 farmers and workers across 100,000 hectares, and enabled the farmers and companies participating in the project to increase yields by 25 percent.
