Intro

Founded in 1968, with operations starting in 1973, LIPSA is the largest refinery in southern Europe.

LIPSA has two refineries: the largest, with a production capacity of 600,000mt, is near Barcelona, where the company is based, and the other is located in Huelva, southern Spain, with a production capacity of 250,000 mt. LIPSA carries out the process from neutralisation to fractionation of all types of tropical, seeds, oils and fats. Its product applications are used for human consumption (59%), animal feed (7%) and other technical uses (34%). 30% of the total volume it produces is exported to 40 countries.

The collaboration between Earthworm Foundation and LIPSA started back in October 2018 through a short-term contract to review and improve its palm oil traceability process, to launch the supplier engagement work and to implement a protocol to deal with cases of non-compliant suppliers targeted for deforestation issues.

LIPSA and Earthworm Foundation decided to extend the partnership and will work to update and strengthen its sustainable palm oil policy. To support LIPSA's vision and commitments, Earthworm Foundation will also take the opportunity to organise a second training session with LIPSA's internal staff to raise awareness around sustainability challenges and requirements.

Communication throughout will be key. We will work with LIPSA to develop the annual progress report and a set of indicators to measure improvement. Finally, LIPSA and Earthworm Foundation will continue to engage with LIPSA's main suppliers to identify opportunities for further collaboration and a co-founded transformation project.

Relevant links

• LIPSA Website
• LIPSA PALM OIL TRANSPARENCY DASHBOARD
• Sustainability report