OREANDA-NEWS. The goal of the program carried out by Solidaridad in cooperation with partners WWF, Proforest and SNV was to improve livelihoods of workers, farmers and their families and to build up sustainable palm oil supply chains for both palm oil and palm kernel oil that can be certified according to the criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The smallholders reached by the program received direct training and support on best cultural practices, improved farm management, health and safety topics as well as environmental and social impact management. With the project spanning across an area of 100,000 hectares, it has supported introducing sustainable practices in 80 percent of Honduras’ palm oil cropland. It is one of the first projects that covered such a large share of the palm oil production area in one country.

Henkel was the first consumer goods manufacturer to join and support the smallholder program started by eight Honduran companies and Solidaridad, the lead project coordinator.

Henkel has actively participated in the RSPO since 2003 and became an official member in 2008. The company wants to promote sustainable farming practices, improve the livelihoods of people involved in the palm oil supply chain and is committed to zero net deforestation by 2020. This means that the palm and palm kernel oil that Henkel uses should not contribute to deforestation of primary or secondary forests of significant ecological value. By converting to Mass Balance certified palm and palm kernel oil, improving traceability as well as supporting plantations and smallholders – such as the Solidaridad project in Honduras – Henkel focuses on driving physical progress in the palm and palm kernel oil value chain.