The Snack Food 20

PepsiCo has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights across all company group operations and serves as an expectation of its business partners at a group level, including its Indonesian Joint Venture Partner Indofood. Its policy also sets a goal to deliver its No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation commitments by the end of 2020.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (February 2020):

• Requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights across all company group operations and serves as an expectation of its business partners at a group level, including its Indonesian Joint Venture Partner Indofood.
• Sets a goal to deliver its No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) commitments by the end of 2020.
• Has a commitment to source palm oil that is traceable to the plantation by 2020.
• Requires a moratorium on forest and peatland conversion following a cutoff date of December 31, 2015.
• Commits to support an industry-wide approach to independent verification of supplier compliance with NDPE policies, and apply it in PepsiCo’s supply chain.
• Commits to proactively assess risk of non-compliance and take action including through its public grievance mechanism.
• Commits to provide effective remedy where PepsiCo has caused or contributed to adverse human rights impacts, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and to use its leverage and grievance management process to help enable its suppliers and business partners to address grievances and non-compliances and provide remedy where they have caused or contributed to impacts.
• Commits to implement a program of action with annual progress reporting and regular disclosures.  

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers.
• Public time-bound implementation plan lacks clear performance-based milestones for achieving independently verified supply chains.
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders.

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions.
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil.

Mondelēz has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights across all operations.

In order to drive real change, Mondelēz should apply its commitment to palm kernel oil, verify traceability to known palm oil plantations, require independent third-party verification of supplier compliance, and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (June 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Requires compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, including joint-venture operations, suppliers and oil traded on the open market
• Requires suppliers to publish a policy and “be able to demonstrate policy implementation by year end 2015, or to have time-bound plans in place”
• Requires suppliers to achieve traceability to the mill level by the end of 2015
• Requires verification of supplier compliance with the RSPO standard “plus credible third-party verification of criteria outside recognized standards” which includes no destruction of rainforests and peatlands
• Has a commitment to “give priority to supplies that meet our sustainability principles, and eliminate supplies that do not.
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress towards full implementation of commitment
• Advocates for palm oil sector reforms with peers and other decision makers

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• Does not apply to Palm Kernel Oil (PKO)
• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from global operations
• No deadline for verified compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No requirement for independent third-party verification of supplier compliance with social safeguards beyond inadequate RSPO auditing
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders beyond published policies
• Ongoing reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates instead of supply chain transformation

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

The Kraft Heinz Company has lagged behind its peers for years in efforts to address the impact of its palm oil supply chain. The company recently released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, The Kraft Heinz Company should require compliance across its suppliers’entire operations, and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment: (March 2017)

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the palm oil mill level
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold, with the exception of ‘manufacturers not directly’ under its control
• Has a commitment to establish internal guidelines for accepted methods of verifying supplier compliance with its policy but maintains its reliance on the inadequate Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress towards full implementation of commitment

Weaknesses:

• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from all branded products and global operations
• No requirement for palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No specified requirement for independent verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No published commitment or procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Krispy Kreme has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Krispy Kreme should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (September 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Sets a deadline for compliance in global operations by the end of 2016
• Commits to “only source from suppliers whose operations are legally produced, fully traceable to the plantation level and verified as free of deforestation, expansion onto peatlands, and the violation of human and labor rights”
• Requires suppliers that are not in compliance “to submit a viable action plan for closing any identified gaps, or risk removal from the brand’s supply chain.”
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress towards full implementation of commitment

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from global operations 
• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• Does not clearly state if verification will be undertaken by an independent third-party
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirements for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders
• Ongoing reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates instead of supply chain transformation

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

The Hershey Company has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, The Hershey Company should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, verify traceability to known palm oil plantations in high and low-risk regions, and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (September 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Expects to achieve traceability to the mill level by first quarter 2015 and to map its palm oil supply chain to individual plantations in high risk regions in 2016
• Has commissioned a second-party to verify traceability to known plantations in its supply chain and conduct supplier assessments
• Has a commitment to “assess which suppliers present the highest risk for engaging in deforestation and will require that these suppliers commit to implementing responsible expansion procedures to the plantation level in 2016”
• Has a commitment to “Work with suppliers to [remediate violations to its policy], and, where necessary, find alternative suppliers”
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress annually towards full implementation of commitment and has published the names of its top four suppliers - Cargill, IOI Group, AAK and Fuji Oils

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from global operations 
• No commitment to verify traceability to known plantations in low risk regions
• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No requirement for independent third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No requirements for transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• Risk assessments only assess risk of deforestation and lack social indicators needed to identify and prioritize areas of significant social conflict risks eg. human rights and labor rights violations and outstanding grievances.
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

front-runner

ConAgra Food has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, ConAgra should commit to verify traceability to known plantations, require independent third-party verification of supplier compliance, and publish a time-bound plan that includes performance-based milestones that will be need to be met to cut Conflict Palm Oil by its 2015 deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (September 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• “Traceability to the extraction mill and validation of fresh fruit bunches to the plantation estate”
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where its products are made and sold
• Sets an assertive deadline to only source from responsible suppliers of palm oil for global operations by the end of 2015
• Has a commitment to “move to suspend or eliminate palm oil purchases from supplier in question [that is] seriously violating the stated principles...if that supplier does not acknowledge and immediately move to acceptably remediate the concern”
• Requires compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress annually towards full implementation of commitment
• Encourage suppliers to regularly update their progress

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• Have not committed to verify traceability to known plantations in its supply chain and conduct supplier assessments
• No requirement for independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• Lack clear requirements for transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders
• Ongoing reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates instead of supply chain transformation

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Grupo Bimbo has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Grupo Bimbo should commit to independent third-party verification of compliance for all its suppliers and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (September 2015):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests; protect and restore peatlands; avoid the use of paraquat; uphold human and labor rights; avoid recruitment fees for workers and resolve conflicts including by providing redress for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold Requires palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level.
• Has commissioned a second-party to ‘map and assess” their supply chain and “will work with other third-parties to achieve and verify company-wide compliance"
• Has a commitment to “work with suppliers to create a corrective action plan with reasonable time commitments to meet our requirements ” and “where suppliers fail to meet time-bound requirements” terminate contracts.
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress biannually towards full implementation of commitment and regularly disclosing a list of top suppliers and sourcing countries
• Expects suppliers to adopt their own “time-bound responsible palm oil policies”
• Encourages public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from all branded products and global operations 
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across growers’ entire operations
• No requirement for all suppliers to undergo independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Dunkin’ Brands has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Dunkin’ Brands should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil from its global operations.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (September 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• Applies to all branded products or in all countries where products are made and sold
• Requires independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, on the destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• Requires “current and potential suppliers to complete a supplier code of conduct survey to help identify social and environmental risks in [their] supply chain and to ensure continued adherence to [the company’s] policies and standards”
• Sets a deadline to source palm oil that is fully traceable to the plantation level, RSPO certified and compliant with the responsible palm oil principles in its policy by December 31, 2016 for its US operations
• Has a commitment to “disqualify any suppliers in serious violation of its policy, and which do not take immediate remedial action to correct those violations”
• Has a commitment to publicly report on progress annually, or on an interim basis as needed, towards full implementation of it commitment

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for eliminating Conflict Palm Oil from global operations 
• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Nestlé has been recognized as a front runner since 2010 when it released a responsible palm oil commitment that required its suppliers end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Nestlé should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, strengthen its requirements on upholding human and labor rights and publish a time-bound plan with an assertive deadline to cut Conflict Palm Oil.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (May 2010 and August 2013):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands, and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Aims “to continuously increase the amount of palm oil that [the company] can trace back to plantations”
• Commits to achieving 95% traceability to the mill and 75% responsibly sourced palm oil by the end of 2015.
• Has commissioned a second-party to verify traceability to known plantations in its supply chain and conduct supplier assessments
• Accepts RSPO certification “as verification of compliance with the Nestlé RSGs, with the exception of the requirements on peatland and high carbon forest which must be independently verified”
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress annually towards full implementation of commitment
• Advocates for palm oil sector reforms with peers and other decision makers
• Phasing out reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for cutting Conflict Palm Oil from global operations 
• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No requirement for independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with social safeguards beyond inadequate RSPO auditing
• No published commitment or procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Campbell Soup Company has emerged as a frontrunner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Campbell Soup Company should publish a time-bound plan and establish robust risk assessment and verification procedures that require all suppliers to verify that they have cut Conflict Palm Oil by an ambitious deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (2016):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products or in all countries where products are made and sold
• Sets a deadline to source traceable to the mill by 2016 and to the plantation by 2018, or 2020 at the latest
• Requires compliance across its suppliers’ entire operations
• Requires independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, on the destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• Has a commitment to annually report on progress towards the implementation of its own palm oil commitments

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline for suppliers to achieve independent verification of compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders 

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Kellogg Company has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Kellogg Company should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations and publish a time-bound plan that includes performance-based milestones that will be need to be met to cut Conflict Palm Oil by its deadline of 2015.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (February 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• Requires independent third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• Sets an assertive deadline to source only responsible palm oil in global operations by the end of 2015, buts provides an option for noncompliant suppliers to work towards compliance after this deadline
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress towards full implementation of commitment
• Requests its suppliers demonstrate a progressive reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions of the plantations they own and report on the greenhouse gas emissions of their operations

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• Allows non-compliant suppliers to remain in supply chain after 2015 deadline if they have an action plan in place
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No published commitment or procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirement for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders
• Ongoing reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates instead of supply chain transformation

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Hormel Foods Corporation has emerged as a frontrunner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Hormel Foods should publish a time-bound plan and establish robust risk assessment and verification procedures that require all suppliers to verify that they have cut Conflict Palm Oil by an ambitious deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (2016):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products or in all countries where products are made and sold
• Sets a deadline to source traceable to the plantation by 2020
• Requires compliance across its suppliers’ entire operations
• Requires suppliers to verify the palm oil they source meets responsible production practices on the destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights annually, which will be reviewed by the Hormel Foods Palm Oil Council.
• Has a commitment to annually report on progress towards the implementation of its own palm oil commitments
•  “In the event an audit or other credible source reveals a supplier is in violation of [its] policy, Hormel Foods will implement corrective actions. If reasonable/appropriate corrective actions cannot be agreed to, Hormel Foods will suspend or discontinue purchases from the supplier”
• Encourages public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No assertive deadline to achieve independent verification of compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across growers’ entire operations
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

General Mills has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, General Mills should require compliance across suppliers’ entire operations, and publish a time-bound plan that includes performance-based milestones that will be need to be met to cut Conflict Palm Oil by its 2015 deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (July 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests and peatlands
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Sets an assertive deadline to source “palm oil from responsible and sustainable sources” in global operations by the end of 2015
• “Traceability to the extraction mill and validation of fresh fruit bunches” to the plantation estate
• Has commissioned a second-party to verify traceability to known plantations in its supply chain and conduct supplier assessments
• Has a commitment to “move to suspend or eliminate palm oil purchases from [a] supplier [that is] seriously violating the stated principles...if that supplier does not acknowledge and immediately move to acceptably remediate the concern”
• Has a commitment to transparent reporting on progress towards full implementation of commitment
• Encourages public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders and has publicly listed its top three suppliers - ADM, Agropalma and Bunge.

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No requirement for compliance across suppliers’ entire operations
• No requirement for independent third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirements for transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Unilever is considered by many as one of the first companies to recognize its Conflict Palm Oil problem. Since the release of its revised palm oil commitment, Unilever has emerged as a frontrunner as it requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights across all operations.

In order to drive real change, Unilever should establish robust risk assessment and verification procedures to identify and remedy human and labor rights violations, and require all suppliers to verify that they have cut Conflict Palm Oil by an ambitious deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (April 2016)

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the mill catchment level
• Requires compliance across its suppliers’ entire operations
• Requires some third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights in high-risk regions by the end of 2017
• Sets a deadline to source traceable to known and certified sources by the end of 2019
• Has a commitment to annually report on progress towards the implementation of its own palm oil commitments
• Advocates for palm oil sector reforms with peers and other decision makers

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• No requirement for all sources of palm oil to be independently verified as compliant with its policy
• Relies on the inadequate Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification system as a tool for verifying compliance with requirements to uphold human and labor rights despite its known failures to do so  
• Risk assessment is conducted using only environmental criteria
• No published procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• Its public time-bound implementation plan lacks clear performance based milestones for addressing social risks and achieving fully independently verified supply chains
• Ongoing reliance on discredited RSPO GreenPalm Certificates until 2019

 Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil

Smuckers has emerged as a front runner as it has released a responsible palm oil commitment that requires its suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights.

In order to drive real change, Smuckers should publish a time-bound plan that includes performance-based milestones that will be need to be met to cut Conflict Palm Oil by its 2015 deadline.

Current Palm Oil Commitment (July 2014):

• Requires suppliers to end the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights
• Applies to all branded products in all countries where products are made and sold
• Requires palm oil to be traceable to the plantation level
• Requires compliance across its suppliers’ entire operations
• Requires independent, third-party verification of supplier compliance with responsible palm oil production practices, including no destruction of rainforests, peatlands or abuse of human and labor rights
• Sets an assertive deadline to source only responsible palm oil in global operations by the end of 2015, buts provides an option for noncompliant suppliers to work towards compliance after this deadline
• Has a commitment to annually report on progress towards the implementation of its own palm oil commitments
• Requests its suppliers demonstrate a progressive reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions of the plantations they own and report on the greenhouse gas emissions of their operations

Weaknesses in Palm Oil Commitment:

• Allows non-compliant suppliers to remain in supply chain after 2015 deadline if they have an action plan in place
• No requirement for an immediate moratorium on the destruction of rainforests and peatlands across grower entire operations
• No published commitment or procedures to eliminate Conflict Palm Oil suppliers
• No public time-bound implementation plan, with clear performance based milestones for achieving traceable, transparent and independently verified supply chains
• No requirements for public transparency from palm oil growers, refiners, and traders

Current status:

• Ongoing sourcing from unknown plantations and high risk regions
• Company products at high risk of contamination with Conflict Palm Oil