Mondelez Achieves 100% Sustainable Palm Oil Two Years Early

Mondelez International has achieved Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) coverage for 100 percent of the palm oil it bought in 2013. This is two years ahead of the company’s existing commitment to cover all requirements by 2015 through a combination of RSPO-certified oil and Greenpalm certificates that support sustainable production.

The snack foods company, which owns billion-dollar brands such as Cadbury, Nabisco and Oreo, says it has also asked its suppliers to provide transparency on the levels of traceability in their palm oil supply chains.

In the first months of this year, Mondelez says it will review results from suppliers and publish an action plan during the second quarter 2014 to give priority to supplies that meet the company’s sustainability principles, and eliminate supplies that do not, by 2020 at the latest.

The company’s sustainable palm oil achievement is part of a wider commitment to sustainable agricultural. Its 10-year, $600 million investments in programs Cocoa Life and Coffee Made Happy are helping farmers, while Harmony, its European wheat-sourcing program, promotes biodiversity and good environmental practices, Mondelez says.

Last month, Mondelez was among the 40 major palm oil producers, financiers and consumers to receive a letter from a coalition of institutional investors urging sustainable palm oil policies.

Unilever, one of the companies targeted by investors, pledged that all of the palm oil the company buys globally will be traceable to known sources by the end of 2014. The company purchases around 1.5 million metric tons of palm oil and its derivatives annually, which represents about 3 percent of the world’s total production.

The Hershey Company, which also received a letter, last month said it has achieved its goal to source 100 percent mass balanced Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil more than a year ahead of its original 2015 commitment.

Growing demand for sustainable palm oil is one of the sustainability trends promising to shape 2014, according to the World Resources Institute.