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 derivatives, we want to make sure that we obtain this renewable raw material from sustainable, certified sources. WACKER uses palm (kernel) oil in the form of different fatty acids/alcohols or their derivatives.
The RSPO initiative campaigns for 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. Raw materials with very low quantities of palm (kernel) oil are excluded from this. We report on our progress annually through an ACOP (Annual Communication on Progress).