07/08/2025 (Oils & Fats International) - Nine major European retailers are ranked among the EU’s highest scoring members for their commitment to advancing certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), European Supermarket Magazine wrote.

The retailers – Marks & Spencer, Edeka, John Lewis Partnership, IKEA, Greggs, Bidfood, Co-op and REWE – emerged as the top performers in their sector on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)’s Shared Responsibility Scorecard, the 24 July report said.

The scorecard shows where organisations are in their sustainability journey based on the RSPO’s Shared Responsibility (SR) framework. Scores are updated annually.

The SR framework and its requirements apply to processors and traders (P&T), consumer goods manufacturers (CGM), retailers, banks and financial institutions, environmental NGOs, and social NGOs.

All RSPO members had a shared responsibility to make palm oil sustainable - grower members by implementing the RSPO standards in their production of oil palm, and non-grower members by stimulating demand for sustainable palm oil, the report said.

Each member sector has specific shared responsibility requirements that ordinary RSPO members must apply.

For retailers, these are across five areas: Transparency and legality; social; environmental; resourcing and CSPO uptake.

In 2024, 67% of RSPO retailer members fulfilled their commitment to increase their CSPO uptake, European Supermarket Magazine wrote.

For example, Marks & Spencer had a 100% CSPO uptake and funded on-the-ground investments in producing areas, supporting 500 smallholders to maintain RSPO certification, and an additional 133 to attain certification, in Sabah, Malaysia in 2025.

In addition to 100% CSPO uptake, John Lewis Partnership aimed to source from suppliers who had also made a commitment to responsible palm oil supply chains with time-bound targets to achieve this.

Alongside FONAP, Lidl was involved in a smallholder farmer project in Indonesia that supported training on environmental aspects, crop technologies, collecting geolocation data and empowering women in the industry.

With 100% CSPO uptake, Co-op was working in partnership with Chester Zoo on reforesting 50,000 trees supported with biodiversity research on a former plantation and had also worked with NGO Solidaridad to support smallholders in Malaysia.

British baker Greggs sourced 100% CSPO and was a partner of the Sustainable Palm Oil City Project across the UK; and 100% of the palm oil used in food service wholesaler Bidfood UK’s own-brand food products supplied to caterers was RSPO certified sustainable.

IKEA, which mainly used palm oil in its candle products, used RSPO segregated certified palm oil.

German retailer Edeka sourced 99.97% CSPO and was a member of the German Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP) and partner with WWF Germany on more sustainable supply chains, including palm oil.

The REWE Group had been a founding member of FONAP since 2013 and private-label products at REWE, PENNY and Lekkerland in Germany and REWE Group in Austria were 100% RSPO certified, the report said.

The retailers demonstrated that meaningful action on sustainable palm oil was being conducted and was gaining momentum in Europe, the report said.

The RSPO Shared Responsibility Scorecard will be updated in September.

https://www.ofimagazine.com/news/top-nine-retailers-in-europe-committing-to-sustainable-palm-oil