Palm (Kernel) Oil

Palm (kernel) oil is facing criticism for its association with frequent violations of human rights and environmental protection guidelines during its recovery. Even though WACKER does not procure large quantities of palm (kernel) oil, we want to make sure that we obtain this renewable raw material from sustainable, certified sources. WACKER SILICONES and WACKER POLYMERS use palm oil in the form of various fatty acid derivatives.

The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) initiative is accelerating the implementation of sustainable practices in the global palm oil industry. In order to become certified, manufacturers have to demonstrate that they have a material-flow control system. In addition, certified producers commit to complying with human rights standards, to reducing emissions and to refraining from clearing forests for plantations and from planting in peatlands with biotopes for protected species.

We obtained RSPO certification for the first time in 2021. We furthermore increasingly use RSPO-certified raw materials in order to step up the proportion of certified palm (kernel) oil. We aim to use 100-percent certified palm (kernel) oil by 2030. We report on our progress annually through an ACOP (Annual Communication on Progress).