L’Oreal and Barry Callebaut Join The Palm Oil Innovation Group

The Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG) recently announced that global companies L’Oreal and Barry Callebaut have joined the initiative for responsibly produced palm oil. The brands join existing POIG companies including Ferrero and Danone, among a number of others.

The announcement of the partnership came shortly after the start of the no deforestation and no exploitation debate regarding which single standard practice will be adopted following the European Union’s recent passage of the palm oil resolution this past spring. Members of the Parliament voted in an overwhelming support of the introduction of the single certification practice to ensure all palm oil entering the EU market is not tied to deforestation or any human rights violations.

During the annual European meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Matthias Diemer, co-chair of the POIG, said “These new members will continue to support the transformation of the palm oil sector by demonstrating innovation to implement RSPO existing standards as well as additional critical requirements, such as ending deforestation, the development of peatlands and gross labour and human rights violations.”