Palm Oil Under RSPO Standard
Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their fractions are used in limited amounts in certain fillings of our chocolate. We buy less than 0.01% of the global palm oil harvest. While these products are important for their melting properties and for providing a neutral flavor, their production under uncontrolled conditions may be associated with environmental and social sustainability issues, including deforestation and conversion of peatlands, biodiversity loss, exploitation of workers, and adverse effects on local communities and Indigenous people. However, palm oil can be produced responsibly when planted in suitable areas and with appropriate consideration for the environment and communities. Palm oil is a high yielding vegetable oil. In comparison to soybean, rapeseed and sunflower, palm oil needs significantly less land to produce the same volume. We recognize that banning and substituting palm oil with other crops would require more land to be dedicated to vegetable oil production globally, likely at the expense of natural forest land. We believe that the best way to protect and restore the rainforest and threatened habitats is to undertake actions for a more sustainable palm oil industry.
For these reasons, we only purchase palm oil certified according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) sustainability standard, and always declare palm oil use on our product packaging. Since 2015, Lindt & Sprüngli has sourced 100% of our palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their fractions with RSPO certification and, for all our products produced in Europe, 100% under the “Segregated” traceability model. RSPO’s Segregated traceability level, means that certified palm oil is kept separate from conventional palm oil throughout the supply chain. Our US subsidiaries are an exception, where a mix of “Segregated” and “Mass Balance” palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their fractions is used but kept separate in bookkeeping. Lindt & Sprüngli strives to achieve full physical traceability in our palm oil supply chain, and we encourage our commercial partners to contribute to this goal.
For detailed information, please see our latest Annual Communication of Progress to the RSPO.
The ingredients of our products are transparently communicated on the packaging.