Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform
What can be achieved at farm level by Unilever alone is limited. We need the cooperation of others in the food industry to make progress in sustainable agriculture. That is why we worked with Nestlé and Groupe Danone to establish the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) in 2002. This aims to develop knowledge about sustainable agriculture and communicate widely with a range of stakeholders.
The SAI Platform has working groups on five crops: dairy, cereals, coffee, fruit and vegetables (including potatoes). A working group on water was also started in 2007. For a list of SAI members, please see the link below.
Unilever workshop on sustainable agriculture
Each year, Unilever holds a sustainable agriculture workshop for our internal agricultural experts and external advisors to review progress and plan future work. In June 2007, the workshop was held in Parma, Italy with field trips to the nearby Consorzio Interregionale Ortofrutticoli (CIO), one of our major suppliers of tomato products in Italy (and fellow SAI Platform member).
Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board
We involve stakeholders (non-government organisations, research institutes, agricultural experts and community organisations) in all aspects of our sustainable agriculture programme. This, for example, helps us to develop indicators and assess our Lead Agriculture Programmes.
We have formed a Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board (SAAB) which comprises individuals from research institutes in the voluntary sector, academia and NGOs. Members advise on our overall approach as well as the standards for Unilever's selected key crops. Members are selected for their individual expertise, rather than to represent their organisations. Member biographies can be found in related links below.
Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Board members
| Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Janet Barber | United Kingdom | |
| Amadou Diop | Rodale Institute | United States |
| Keith Goulding | Rothamstead Research | United Kingdom |
| Louise Luttikholt | International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) | Germany |
| Richard Perkins | WWF-UK | United Kingdom |
| Rudy Rabbinge | University of Wageningen | Netherlands |
| Suhas P.Wani | International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) | India |
| Tensie Whelan | Rainforest Alliance | US |
| Stephanie Williamson | Pesticides Action Network UK | United Kingdom |
| Mark Lundy | International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) | Colombia |
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
Palm oil is used in prepared foods, such as shortening in biscuits, and in personal care products, such as bath soaps. Palm plantations provide much-needed jobs but the expansion of production threatens forests and wildlife. Since the 1990s land under palm oil cultivation has increased by about 43%, primarily in Malaysia and Indonesia where most of world's palm oil is produced.
There are concerns about the expansion of palm oil plantations which leads to the clearing of forests. This often destroys plant life and habitats for wild animals. Fire is still used to clear land, despite a ban on burning in Malaysia and Indonesia. The smoke contributes to regional smog. Expansion has led to conflicts between local communities and landowners.
Unilever was one of the founders of the global Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – an industry-led initiative set up in co-operation with the conservation organisation WWF in 2003. The Roundtable works with plantation owners and commercial users to devise standards for sustainable production. Other NGO partners include Oxfam and Sawit Watch.
A working group produced criteria for sustainable palm oil production. These were tested by a group of Roundtable members during 2007. Unilever's Sustainable Agriculture Director, Jan Kees Vis, is president of the executive board.
RSPO developed national interpretations of the generic standard in 2007, to allow for differences in national legislation in producing countries. During the Fifth Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil in November 2007, RSPO also launched its certification framework. Certified sustainable palm oil is expected to reach the market in the course of 2008.
See related links below to find out more about the RSPO.
Roundtable on Responsible Soy
Soya beans are a versatile source of raw materials for us. We use the bean to produce our soya milk AdeS, in Brazil, the oil in margarines and mayonnaise (outside Europe) and the lecithin as an emulsifier in many other products.
We are members of the Roundtable on Responsible Soy which seeks to establish agreed Principles and Criteria for responsible soya production. After thorough deliberation, in 2006 participants agreed on the key sustainability issues linked to soya production. They also agreed to formalise the Roundtable as a permanent organisation. In 2007, the roundtable created a Criteria Development Group, who have started work on the development of a standard for sustainable soy farming.
Our achievements in fish sustainability
In 1996 we co-founded the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) with the conservation organisation WWF to establish a global standard for sustainable fisheries management. In 2006 we sold a large part of our frozen foods business, including our European fish business - with the exception of the Findus brand in Italy. Despite the sale, we remain committed to the goal of sustainability for our remaining fish products and will continue to support the MSC.
We are proud of what has been achieved since 1996. Although we were not able to reach our 100% sustainable sourcing target, there are encouraging signs that consumers are making the connection between their choices and the goal of sustainable development. Retailers including Tesco, Wal-Mart and Sainsbury's, as well as many foodservice companies, now source from MSC certified fisheries.
