The Co-operative Group has confirmed that 100% of its palm oil will now come from sustainable sources.
The UK retailer said today (12 October) that the move will help to protect endangered species, such as the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger, as well as “safeguard the future of smallholder farmers”. The premium the farmers receive will help them to build capacity for further production of sustainable palm oil.
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The company is purchasing accredited GreenPalm certificates from a co-operative of smallholders who are producing sustainable palm oil, accredited by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
The Co-operative has also been working to increase the number of its own-brand products that contain traceable, certified sustainable palm oil, aiming to ensure all palm oil used as an ingredient in Co-operative brand products comes from this system by 2015. It currently has 81 own-brand products that contain fully traceable, sustainable palm oil.
Sean Toal, acting chief executive of The Co-operative Food, said: “Deforestation and the loss of natural habitat for the orangutan and other endangered species are major issues, but, as a consumer-owned retailer, we are determined to play our part in supporting sustainable solutions.”
As a result of switching to sustainable palm oil, the Co-operative said it has become the largest UK supermarket to certify all of its palm oil use as sustainable.
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