FDBusiness.com

Mondelez International has achieved Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) coverage for 100% 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.

“Achieving 100 percent RSPO is an important milestone toward our long-term commitment to only buy palm oil that’s produced on legally held land, doesn’t lead to deforestation or loss of peat land, respects human rights, including land rights, and doesn’t use forced or child labor,” says Dave Brown, vice president of Global Commodities and Strategic Sourcing. “We recognize the need to go further, so we’ve also challenged our palm oil suppliers to provide transparency on the levels of traceability in their palm oil supply chains.  Knowing the sources of palm oil supplies is an essential first step to enable scrutiny and promote improvements in practice on the ground.”

In the first months of this year, Mondelez International 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 work in palm oil is part of a wider commitment to sustainably source key agricultural commodities. Its 10-year, $600 million investments in signature programs Cocoa Life and Coffee Made Happy are helping farmers create thriving communities, while Harmony, its successful European wheat sourcing program, is promoting biodiversity and good environmental practices.

With 2012 revenue of $35 billion, Mondelez International is a world leader in chocolate, biscuits, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, LU, Nabisco and Oreo biscuits, Tang powdered beverages and Trident gum.