Retailers Working Group on Palm Oil

Transparency

Group members conduct regular individual traceability exercises to identify the origin of the palm oil contained in their products. The products targeted are food and DPH (drugs, perfumes and hygiene) products that may contain palm oil, palm kernel oil or their derivatives.

This work makes it possible to identify the major common importers to the supply chains of the retailers, i.e. the companies which have imported palm oil into Europe.

The brands are also working to harmonise their individual traceability exercises (calendars and methodologies).

Practice Assesments

Each year, importers common to group members are assessed. The objective of this evaluation is to verify that the commitments and procurement policies of importers are aligned with those of the group's members, and that they are implemented through robust action plans.

For the sake of transparency, this assessment is carried out on the basis of public data. The themes analysed are: No Deforestation, no Peat, no Deforestation (NDPE) policy, traceability, action plan and reporting, transformation of practices on the field, grievances management, verification of environmental and social commitments (satellite monitoring, etc.), performance in evaluations by NGOs.

Commitment

The assessment helps to form an understanding of the practices of each importer, to follow their evolution over time, and to identify the strengths and areas for improvement of each. Following this analysis, the group prioritises importers each year for direct contact in order to share the results with them and challenge them on identified areas of progress, with a view to continuous improvement of the supply chain. 

Grievances

The group continues to detect and manage non-compliance alerts with the NDPE commitment of its members, through a common procedure.
 

Forest Conservation

In 2025, distributors will contribute to preserving a threatened ecosystem in Indonesia: the Lesan river forest. This project, led by the Forest Conservation Fund, aims to finance protection patrols, raise awareness, restore degraded areas, and support communities in transitioning to sustainable agriculture.

Protecting this threatened ecosystem also helps combat climate change, preserve carbon sinks,

defend indigenous peoples' lands, and preserve unique biodiversity. For more information: https://www.fundforests.org/lesan-river-forest

Study

This year, Earthworm Foundation conducted two studies for members of the group. The first focused on the Implementation Reporting Framework (IRF) methodology, a key tool in the palm oil sector for assessing the implementation of sustainability commitments.
The second study looked at RSPO certification and the guarantees it provides, particularly in terms of plot-level traceability, deforestation requirements, and compliance with national legislation, in line with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Recommendations were made to the group members to strengthen their approaches and compliance.