Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard

WHAT SUPPLY CHAIN
CHOICES ARE THE
BRANDS MAKING?
WWF is asking brands to move away
from relying on book and claim and
toward mass balance, and eventually
segregated and identity preserved
CSPO.
Each of the RSPO-approved supply chain options to source CSPO has a role to play in
transforming the industry (see appendix 1).
The book and claim system is valuable to kickstart transformation by making it easy
and cheap for brands to support growers that are RSPO-certified. And it’s currently
difficult or even impossible to source physical supplies of some types of palm oil, such as
complex derivatives or palm oil from independent smallholders. However, shifting supply
chains to physical supplies of CSPO is important because it brings greater transparency,
and gives consumers the assurance that the oil in their products is indeed sustainable.
THERE IS NO REASON
WHY A RESPONSIBLE
RETAILER, FOOD
SERVICE COMPANY
OR MANUFACTURER
SHOULD NOT
ALREADY BE 100
PER CENT CERTIFIED
WWF’s work on the ground, such as that in Tesso Nilo (see page 56), clearly illustrates
the need for companies all along the palm oil supply chain to take control and
responsibility for the palm oil they source. Other than investing huge resources
themselves in tracing all of their palm oil right back to the plantations (something
which no company has yet achieved), the only way for brands to be sure they are
buying sustainable palm oil is to shift their sourcing to known and verified sustainable
sources. That means buying CSPO that has been kept segregated from uncertified palm
oil right from the plantation to the end user.
The mass balance option is a stepping stone between book and claim and fully
segregated CSPO. It gets companies along the supply chain asking questions about
their suppliers and building relationships based on their ability to deliver sustainable
palm oil.
This is why WWF asks brands to move away from relying on book and
claim and toward mass balance and eventually segregated and identity
preserved CSPO.
The low cost and ease of using the book and claim option and the global
availability of CSPO means that today there is no reason why a responsible
retailer, food service company or manufacturer should not already be 100
per cent certified for the palm oil it uses.
And in markets where mass balance, segregated and even identity
preserved CSPO is increasingly available (like Europe and North America)
brands must also increase their use of these options.
37 WWF PALM OIL BUYERS SCORECARD 2016