Effective Nov 9, 2022
Planted and harvested on almost 40 million acres in tropical areas around the globe, oil palm use ranges from cooking oil and other food ingredients to cosmetics and soaps, as well as feedstock for biofuels. Because palm oil is the highest-yielding vegetable oil crop – four to ten times more than soy, canola or sunflower, it is an extremely efficient crop and demand continues to rise.
Cultivation of oil palm has resulted in economic and employment benefits for many growers. Unfortunately, it has also created unprecedented threats of deforestation endangering wildlife and people in those regions as well.
SunOpta supports responsible sourcing of palm oil and although we do not use palm oil in our products, we continuously assess our supply chain for palm oil derivatives.
We expect our suppliers to adhere to our Supplier Partner Code of Conduct and to have all palm oil derivatives certified with RSPO. As we are made aware of any supply chain violations, we work with our supplier partners to identify available certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) options or remove them from our supply chain.
SunOpta also works with our customer partners in support of their RSPO initiatives. When appropriate SunOpta will provide guidance towards, and access to, certified RSPO supply chains.