Palm oil is literally everywhere – in our foods, cosmetics, cleaning products and fuels.
NORWAY HEAVILY RESTRICT PALM OILS LINKED TO DEFORESTATION
1. Norway is to become the first country to stop its biofuel industry buying palm oil that is linked to catastrophic deforestation.
2. The EU has agreed to phase out biofuels linked with deforestation and habitat destruction, but not until 2030.
3. As a result of the ban, biofuel industries in Norway will have until 2020 to phase out the use of palm oil.
4. Despite the biofuel ruling, palm oil will still be permitted in food and cosmetic (and other non-energy) items; however, the European Union is hopefully working towards a 2030 deadline that will phase out other palm oil products, with hopes that other countries will institute their own bans again palm oil-based biofuels, like Norway has.
INDONESIA PALM OIL FUND - DECEMBER 2018
1. the BPDP-KS had distributed Rp 5.51 trillion for incentives of biodiesel incentives, replanting and research and development for oil palm farmers to boost production.
2. The fund had collected Rp 14.48 trillion (US$992 million) in export levies of CPO and other palm oil products from January until November in 2018. In 2017, the BPDP-KS collected Rp 13.05 trillion in export levies.
3. The Indonesian Oil Palm Estate Fund (BPDP-KS) stressed that it would continue its program in 2019, despite the temporary removal of export levies due to the recent crude palm oil (CPO) price slump.
4. Spending on biodiesel incentives reached 70 percent of the total fund, spending on the replanting program reached 22 percent and the remaining funds were spent on research and development, human resources development, promotion and infrastructure.
BASF MAJOR PORTFOLIO SWITCH DRIVING SUSTAINABLE PALM - DECEMBER 2018
1. BASF shifts its Personal Care portfolio and will offer palm-based specialties for the cosmetics industry exclusively as certified sustainable.
2. The decision to offer palm-based specialties only as certified in line with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) ‘Mass Balance’ standard is the latest move in BASF’s initiative ‘Time for Change’.
3. The company has made a commitment to switch about 330 palm-based products to ‘Mass Balance’ standard in the course of 2018 globally.
4. ‘Mass Balance’ (MB) is one of the RSPO supply chain models that foster the physical flow of certified raw materials within the oleo-derivatives supply chain.
5. In 2017, the company was able to trace almost 80 percent of its overall oil palm exposure of more than half a million metric tons. The certified sustainable oil is 100 percent traceable and originates from 204 oil mills in Indonesia and Malaysia.
PALM OIL SUPPLY CHAIN CLEAN UP - DECEMBER 2018
1. Due to the bad press, companies have been scrambling to do a more thorough job in tracking their supplies, which many say is a challenge due to long and complex supply chains.
2. Singapore-listed Wilmar, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, announced earlier in December that it will use satellites to monitor suppliers in a fresh attempt to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain.
3. Singapore-listed Olam earlier this year launched a platform for customers to check on their supply chains. Olam is a major supplier of produce such as cocoa used in chocolate-making, edible nuts and palm oil. Major clients include household names like Nestle and Mondelez brand Cadbury that sell consumer products to retail customers, particularly in developed countries where issues of sustainability are under focus.
(Source: thejakartapost, sustainablebrands, Reuters, CNBC, greenmatters)
