Naturex Develops Solutiions to Address Palm Oil Issue

12 Mar 2013 --- Deforestation fueled by the demand for palm oil has raised concerns in consumers’ minds. Naturex positions itself to offer manufacturers sustainable options when it comes to reformulating products containing palm oil.

Naturex is committed to providing ingredients that are not associated with deforestation. Faced with a complex issue with numerous technical challenges, Naturex realized the need for a multi-faceted approach. The group has sought out a balanced solution built on two of its core strengths: technical skills and supply chain expertise.

“Naturex’s R&D team has successfully replaced the palm-derived ingredients with non-palm source materials wherever possible,” says Amandine De Santi, business manager. For example, since 2012, glycerin derived from palm has been replaced by a new source of rapeseed-derived glycerin in all color formulations.

“Regarding ingredients for which non-palm based alternatives are not yet commercially available, we have launched a global initiative that relies on our sourcing, quality, and R&D capabilities,” explains Amandine De Santi. In addition to the wild-harvest of many of its signature ingredients, Naturex has decided to participate in the Green Palm program, which is fully in line with its environmentally responsible practices. Since the beginning of February, Naturex has been buying enough Green Palm certificates to cover 100% of the volume of palm oil derived ingredients used in the formulation of its products. These certificates are used to support sustainable palm oil production until the relevant supply chains become available. The clear and ultimate goal of Naturex is to switch to fully segregated RSPO certified ingredients by 2015.

In response to the demand by manufacturers for ingredients that are entirely palm-free, Naturex has also developed a large range of natural, palm-free colors. This range is a good compromise between current technical feasibility and consumer expectations for palm-free products.

Naturex offers a tailored formulation service in order to find the best possible palm-free color alternative for each customer’s specific products and requirements.