ASIA – The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has reinstated Nestlé S.A.’s membership following the submission of its time-bound action plan to achieve 100% RSPO certified sustainable palm oil by 2023.
Nestle earlier in June had its membership of the industry watchdog RSPO suspended as the Swiss food group had failed to submit a report detailing how it would ensure the use of certified sustainable palm oil, according to RSPO.
Nestlé’s certificates and membership status have been reinstated effective July 16, 2018.
RSPO and Nestlé share the vision of transforming the palm oil industry for a sustainable future.
They also believe that achieving this requires the entire industry to work towards greater transparency, inclusiveness, direct supply chain engagement and capacity building throughout the supply chain.
“Transparency in our supply chain has always been a priority. Nestlé has always been committed to implementing responsible sourcing and has made significant progress towards our commitment to using fully responsibly sourced palm oil,” said Benjamin Ware, Nestlé’s Global Head of Responsible Sourcing.
“Nestlé supports RSPO’s role in driving industry wide change and appreciates its decision following the submission of our action plan, which focuses on increasing traceability primarily through segregated RSPO palm oil.
This builds on Nestlé’s ongoing activities to achieve a traceable and responsibly sourced palm oil supply chain.”
According to him, Nestlé would play a leading role within the RSPO by participating in working groups and sharing its experiences in addressing some of the critical environmental and socio-economic challenges affecting the sector.
“In line with the RSPO’s objectives, this work will focus on preventing deforestation, particularly the protection of peatland and high-carbon stock land, as well as respecting human rights across the value chain,” said Benjamin Ware.
“The RSPO is more than a certification scheme, it is a commitment scheme.
When joining RSPO, all our members make a commitment to transform the palm oil industry.
Nestlé has pledged to step up their efforts in working actively on solutions within the RSPO system, via active participation,” said Darrel Webber, CEO of RSPO.
“It’s with this in mind that we are welcoming Nestlé back to the Roundtable, confident they will live up to our membership obligations and succeed in delivering on their time-bound plan.
We trust that by working collectively we are able to realize a sustainable, respectful and responsible palm oil industry.”
