German chemical and biotech giant BASF has again reached its target of procuring 100% of its palm kernel oil (PKO) exclusively from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified sources, the company announced.
Based on a voluntary commitment, the company purchased a total of 242,946 tonnes of certified sustainable palm kernel oil (CSPKO) in 2021, BASF said on 10 August.
The company said it was now focussing on the next part of the voluntary commitment it made in 2015 to expand it to those significant intermediates which are based on palm oil and palm kernel oil by 2025. These include fractions, primary oleochemical derivatives, and vegetable oil esters.
PKO and its primary derivatives are mainly used in human nutrition and also to produce ingredients for the cosmetics, detergent and cleaning industries.
BASF added that it had also made further progress in developing transparent supply chains with almost 96% of its global palm footprint – totalling 441,107 tonnes – traceable back to the oil mill level.
Compared with conventional sourcing, BASF said it had avoided more than 330,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The figures were published in the sixth edition of the company’s Palm Progress Report.
