Why Sustainable Palm Oil Matters to KTC
“Why are you selling palm oil? Palm oil is bad!”
This is one of the most common consumer criticisms we face as Britain’s leading distributor of edible oils and fats. Of course, we’re not alone – for years, the temptation for any business selling or using palm oil has been to lay low, not talk about palm oil use, and if possible, hide their use to avoid criticism!
At KTC, we made the conscious decision not to hide away from the hard conversations on palm oil – but to engage in them.
In practice, this means challenging misconceptions, constantly improving our own operations, and championing the benefits of sustainable palm oil wherever we can!
Why We Embrace Sustainable Palm Oil
Like many businesses, we’re conscious of the impact our operations have on the planet – and there’s no getting away from palm oil’s negative historic impact on landscapes ecosystems and wildlife in Southeast Asia.
The historic damage caused by the unsustainable expansion of palm cultivation is real and is the reason that it has a negative reputation to this day.
So why do we still sell it? It’s simple.
We believe that the best alternative to palm oil is sustainable palm oil. There are no ‘bad’ oil crops, just bad practices, and when grown responsibly, palm oil can be truly sustainable.
The best things we can do as a distributor to drive positive change and reduce the negative impact of palm oil is to make the right choice and ensure that all the palm oil we supply is certified sustainable.
At the same time, we can try to educate and influence our own customers, and their consumers on the benefits of sustainable palm oil.
So that’s what we’ve been doing!
Our Progress on Palm
Our journey on sustainable palm oil goes back to 2010, when we joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and in 2020, we launched Palmax IP – our first RSPO Certified Identity Preserved frying oil. Since 2022, 100% of KTC Edibles’ palm oil has been RSPO certified sustainable Segregated (SG), or Identity Preserved (IP).
We were the first UK company to sign the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto in 2022 – a joint initiative by the RSPO, European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA), and the IDH (the Sustainable Trade Initiative).
In 2023, we launched Planet Palm – the world’s first overtly pro-palm oil brand for B2B. Earlier this year, we joined Chester Zoo’s Sustainable Palm Oil Communities Project as a Sustainable Palm Oil Ambassador. We also completed the process of transitioning Cardowan, a company we acquired in 2023, to 100% segregated sustainable.
We’re currently in the process of transitioning another recent acquisition, Trilby Trading, to 100% segregated sustainable, which we hope to complete by the end of the year.
Throughout this process, we’ve always been happy to talk about our palm oil use, appearing on podcasts, communicating with the press, our customers and stakeholders about our mission to ensure that every drop of KTC palm oil meets the highest sustainability standards.
Of course, there’s always more we can do, and we’re continually looking for new ways to drive the adoption of sustainable palm oil across the UK and beyond.