For the environment, your products and your people
CREMER OLEO is part of the global family business CREMER. Social and environmental values have always been an integral part of our corporate culture. They determine the way we work together and contribute to CREMER's business success. We conduct our business with an open, intercultural attitude and always act in accordance with legal and ethical rules and regulations.
The world's climate is changing. Dealing with the consequences of climate change is becoming an ever greater challenge. At CREMER OLEO, we recognise and take responsibility for the impact of our global business activities. As we move towards greater sustainability, we are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We published our first sustainability report in 2023. We have been involved with the RSPO for many years to ensure that the raw materials used in our products are handled responsibly. We make our supply chains traceable through our membership of the ASD. And from 2023, our NDPE policy commits us and our suppliers to the principles of 'no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation', meaning no more rainforest clearance, no new plantations on peatland and no exploitation of people and local communities.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
We are committed to playing our part in creating a liveable and equitable future. We are guided by the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 global targets to be achieved by 2030. This means, for example, that we are doing everything we can to make our products and services ever more environmentally friendly, to ensure that our supply chains are sustainable and to protect the health and well-being of our employees.
In 2022, we started to assess the status quo of all KPIs relevant to our business, providing the basis for a sound sustainability analysis. Sustainability managers were appointed in all CREMER divisions and coordinated by a core team at the Hamburg headquarters. In 2007, we published our first sustainability report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard. This will put us ahead of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) timetable.
CREMER Sustainability Report
The publication of our first sustainability report was preceded by more than a year of preparation across the business. All sustainability managers received extensive training to build and expand their knowledge. We have implemented reporting software across the Group that will enable us to collect, analyse and visualise our sustainability data on an ongoing basis.
As part of the data collection process, we asked ourselves and our stakeholders in all business areas: Where are the sustainability gaps in our value chains? What action do these gaps require? Where are we already having a positive impact on other stakeholders and society? How can we increase our positive impact? An honest and comprehensive examination of these questions forms the basis for all further action, which we now document annually in our Sustainability Reports.
Sustainable palm oil production
CREMER OLEO is one of the largest suppliers of oleochemicals such as glycerine, fatty acids, fatty alcohols and soap noodles. Many of these are based on palm or palm kernel oil. We are aware of our responsibilities in this business.
Palm oil has become an integral part of our daily lives: the WWF estimates that around 50% of all supermarket products contain palm oil - from detergents and sunscreens to chocolate and sausages. The use of palm oil, palm kernel oil and their derivatives is rightly controversial, with the deforestation of rainforests and the violation of human and labour rights in the areas where they are grown condemned.
This is why we have been a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil for many years. The RSPO is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to make sustainable palm oil production the norm. It brings together palm oil producers, smallholders, traders, consumer goods companies, banks and organisations such as WWF and Oxfam. The RSPO is the world's most widely used standard for palm oil production and offers several certification schemes for products and supply chains.
CREMER OLEO offers almost all palm oil and palm kernel oil based products certified to the RSPO Mass Balance (MB) standard. Some of our products also meet the requirements of the Identity Preserved (IP) and Segregated (SG) quality standards. Our supply chain is RSPO SCC certified.
You can follow the progress of our commitment to the RSPO here: https://www.rspo.org/members/247.
CREMER OLEO license number: RSPO-1106112
Mass Balance (MB)
This certification standard allows the blending of both RSPO-certified and non-certified palm oil at any stage of the supply chain, provided that the total quantity of the site is controlled.
Segregated (SG)
According to this model, only raw materials and products in which the palm oil is 100% RSPO-certified can be certified. It can come from various certified palm oil plantations and palm oil mills.
Identity Preserved (IP)
Only raw materials and products in which the palm oil is 100% RSPO-certified and can be traced back to exactly one palm oil plantation can be certified as Identity Preserved. This is the strictest standard for products in the RSPO.
The certification of a supply chain according to RSPO SCC certifies uninterrupted monitoring of all stages in the palm oil supply chain: from refining and processing to refining, transport and delivery.
Traceable supply chains: membership of the ASD, Action for Sustainable Derivatives
The market for OLEO derivatives is highly interconnected globally. Tracking every delivery all the way back to all plantations and oil mills is an enormous task, especially for an independent provider of raw materials and supply chain services like CREMER OLEO. This is why we joined the ASD in 2023, an initiative of well-known companies from the cosmetics, household, personal care and oleochemical industries. Its aim is to make the global supply chains of palm oil derivatives more transparent and sustainable. The initiative is organised by the recognised French sustainability organisation Transitions and BSR®, a network and consultancy for sustainable business models.
The advantage for our customers: Because transactions are easier to trace, we will be able to ensure even better in future that our goods and supply chains fulfil their diverse sustainability goals and requirements. The quality of our goods is traceable at all times and no longer needs to be individually requested and confirmed. We can respond to any complaints comprehensively and much faster than before.
NDPE: No deforestation, no peat, no exploitation
CREMER OLEO's NDPE policy extends our efforts to produce sustainable palm oil derivatives. We are committed to preserving the forests and peatlands where our raw materials are grown. This means, for example, that we oppose the burning of forests to plant or replant oil palms, and the cultivation of oil palms on peat soils. We recognise the international human rights and labour standards of the United Nations and require all our suppliers to comply with them. Smallholder farmers working in our supply chains must be included in the value chain without any form of discrimination.
Our NDPE standards are not just for us: We expect our suppliers to support us in our drive for greater transparency. They are required to follow similar guidelines and enforce them throughout their supply chain. On-site audits must be possible at any time. Violations of the NPDE Policy and the CREMER OLEO Code of Conduct must be reported to us immediately.
We can provide our customers with an up-to-date list of the oil mills that supply the palm oil used in their products. You can download the full list of mills here.