Procurement and sustainable sourcing
We have an important role to play in trading responsibly, with honesty and integrity at all times. We therefore want to ensure that organisations we deal with, our suppliers and their representatives, share this responsibility and live up to our values and standards. From sourcing raw materials to delivering safe products to customers, we are committed to responsible stewardship at every stage, meeting all relevant legislation and registrations.
Supplier engagement and monitoring
We partner with EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted business sustainability ratings. We use its universal scorecard, benchmarks and performance improvement tools across four areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
Alongside our own work with suppliers, we look for third party certifications to validate the sustainability credentials of suppliers and their raw materials. These include International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), USDA BioPreferred®*, Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and Sustainable Castor Oil Association (SuCCESS).
*USDA BioPreferred is a registered trademark of the US department of Agriculture
As part of our commitment to responsible and ethical trading, we developed a Supplier Code of Conduct, which outlines our sustainability commitments and key principles for suppliers to do business with us. The Code covers:
| Sustainability | Legal requirements | Conflict of interest | Human rights |
| Health and safety | Environmental management | Bribery and corruption | Conflict minerals |
| Animal welfare | Confidentiality | Quality | |
Supplier Code of Conduct
Our approach
Sustainable palm derivatives
Our use of palm-derived raw materials is supported by RSPO supply chain mapping, certification and transparency. In 2022 89.3% of our global palm derivatives consumption was RSPO physically certified by Mass Balance. In Europe and the Americas, we achieved 99% transformation to RSPO. We continue to face challenges completing the conversion primarily due to slow market progress in Asia. Working with Action for Sustainable Derivatives (ASD), our 2022 supply chain mapping covered 99.4% of our total volumes of palm-based raw materials.
Supply chain transparency was achieved for 97.7% (refineries), 95.4% (mills) and 33.5% (plantations) of volume. 99% of traceable volumes originate from Indonesia (57%), Malaysia (39.2%),Thailand (2.3%) and Colombia (0.5%), with 1078 mills representing 90.0% of traceable volumes.”
Statement on grievances in the Palm Sector
Palm substitution
Action for sustainable derivatives
Sustainable palm oil statement
Our Commitment
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
