Ajinomoto Group Palm Oil Procurement Guidelines

Ajinomoto Group
Established on : July 1, 2018

1. Purpose

Palm oil is one of the essential raw materials supporting the business of Ajinomoto Group, but there are concerns on the relationship of the development of palm farms and palm oil production with deforestation and human rights abuses. The Ajinomoto Group shall make improvements to overcome these problems in the palm oil supply chain and realize sustainable palm oil procurement.

2. Applicable materials

  • Palm oil or palm kernel oil

  • Products containing palm oil or palm kernel oil as raw material

  • The applicable materials are referred to as palm oil products in the subsequent sentences.

3. Direction

Ajinomoto Group shall respect the Principle and Criteria for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil 2013 set forth by RSPO or equivalent international standards, and procure sustainable palm oil products. The criteria for sustainable palm oil products include the following conditions in addition to the RSPO Principle and Criteria 2013.

  • Protect areas with High Conservation Value (HCV).

  • Do not use fire to prepare for new planting, re-planting, or other development, including the management of existing plantations.

  • Support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and respect the human rights of workers.

  • When developing the afforestation area, respect the intention of indigenous people and communities, and ensure impartial handling of grievances.

  • Protect High Carbon Stock (HCS).

  • Do not cultivate new peatlands.

4. Action

  • To procure palm oil products in compliance with these guidelines, we shall exchange information with concerned parties such as suppliers, external experts, NGOs, and other companies with similar concerns, and shall promote and cooperate as needed to ensure transparency of supply chain.

  • To ensure that palm oil products are procured in compliance with these guidelines, we shall formulate numerical targets and action plans, and publish the results.

  • We shall review the contents of these guidelines at regular intervals.

Reference

Principle and Criteria for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil 2013
https://rspo.org/key-documents/certification/rspo-principles-and-criteria