To curb deforestation and forest degradation that is provoked by EU consumption and production, the European Union has put forward a proposal for a regulation on deforestation-free products. With the regulation, designed to protect the world’s most vulnerable forests, the EU is seeking to ban imports of six agricultural products from areas at risk of deforestation, among them palm oil.
AAK, specialized in plant-based oils and fats with palm being one of its key raw materials, welcomes the proposal from the EU.
“Although we don’t yet know the practical implications of the proposal, the fact that these vital questions are addressed by the European Union is an indication that things are moving in the right direction”, says Johan Westman, President and CEO, AAK Group. “AAK has for many years been pushing for and contributing to a transparent and sustainable palm oil supply chain. However, to obtain a fully sustainable palm oil industry requires alignment and broad collaboration in and around the supply chain, including governments and policy makers.”
AAK is committed to a palm oil supply chain that is 100 percent verified deforestation-free and 100 percent traceable to plantation. This goes hand in hand with EU’s initiative and recent commitments from global leaders at COP26 to halt deforestation and forest degradation.
