UK Industry Signs Commitment for 100% Sustainable Palm Oil

22 August 2017 – An alliance of industry associations and NGOs in the UK has signed the Commitment to Support 100% Sustainable Palm Oil in Europe by 2020.

The alliance, called the UK Roundtable on Sourcing Sustainable Palm Oil, has existed since 2012, with the aim to promote the uptake of sustainable palm oil in the UK. Members include the Food and Drink Federation, Sustainable Restaurant Association, British Hospitality Association, Chilled Food Association, British Retail Consortium, Federation of Wholesale Distributors, Business Services Association, British Association for Chemical Specialties, UK Cleaning Products Association, Agricultural Industries Confederation, National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association, Seed Crushers and Oil Processors Association, Renewable Energy Association, UK Petroleum Industry Association, World Wildlife Fund, Zoological Society of London, Forest Coalition, and British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

With the signing of the Commitment to Support, the Roundtable joins various European private sector organizations to ensure a fully sustainable palm oil supply chain in Europe by 2020.

The Commitment to Support was initiated by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative and MVO, the Netherlands Oils and Fats Industry, who united in the European Sustainable Palm Oil project in December 2015. In response, the governments of key European Union countries declared their support towards the project by signing the Amsterdam Palm Oil Declaration.

The UK Roundtable on Sourcing Sustainable Palm Oil can make an important contribution to the efforts of the private sector across Europe to remove deforestation from their supply chains, and to ensure fully sustainable palm oil supply chains by 2020. It will report annually on progress in the UK, and work with other signatories to the Commitment to Support on increasing the uptake of sustainable palm oil.