Our Sustainability Timeline
Improving coconut oil sustainability for more than a decade
We are working to make the coconut oil supply chain – and the communities where coconut is grown – more sustainable and resilient and deliver certified sustainable coconut oil to our customers around the world. Here are some examples of sustainability milestones we have achieved together with our partners:
- 2011: Cargill joins first public-private partnership with GIZ and BASF
Cargill joins together with GIZ, BASF and other partners working to achieve the shared goal of increasing the incomes and economic self-sufficiency of smallholder coconut farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia through a certified sustainable coconut oil supply chain to help meet growing demand. Learn more.
- 2015: Partnership helps smallholders achieve the world’s first Rainforest Alliance certified coconut
The partnership formed by Cargill, GIZ and BASF trains more than 1,000 smallholders on good agricultural practices, such as the sustainable use of fertilizers, intercropping and replanting to improve long-term yields. In 2015, 300 smallholders meet the social and environmental standards set by the Sustainable Agricultural Network to receive Rainforest Alliance certification for their copra (dried coconut). Participating farmers increase their incomes by 15% or more. The program also supports community access to healthcare. Learn more.
- 2018: First Rainforest Alliance mass balance certified coconut oil is shipped to markets
In April 2018, 418 metric tons of Rainforest Alliance mass balance certified coconut oil is delivered to customers in Europe.
- 2019: 1,531 farmers achieve Rainforest Alliance certification in the Philippines and Indonesia
Between 2015 and 2019, more than 4,100 coconut farmers in the Philippines and Indonesia received training in good agricultural and processing practices and farm management. 1,531 Farmers achieved certification using the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard. At the end of the project, the average income of certified farmers is 47% higher compared to the income of farmers who did not participate in training and certification. Learn more.
- 2021: Cargill launches conservation project in Sulawesi
Cargill and the Wildlife Conservation Society launch a program to address deforestation risk and support smallholder farmers in plantations adjacent to biodiversity-rich forest areas and critical watersheds on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The program works with smallholder farmers to help them increase yields, earn viable incomes from their coconut plantations and conserve forests. Learn more.
- 2021: Industry collaboration initiated in the Philippines
Cargill and six other global companies launch a public-private partnership to expand the use of good agricultural practices by Philippine coconut farmers. The initiative uses a landscape approach to improve farming practices and smallholder farmer incomes across the Southern Mindanao and Palawan production regions. Learn more.
- 2021: Cargill joins child labor risk assessment in the Philippines
Cargill joins a multi-stakeholder initiative to protect the safety and wellbeing of children in coconut farming communities in the Philippines. Learn more.
- 2021: Cargill publishes sustainable coconut oil sourcing commitment
Cargill formalizes our commitment to source coconut oil in an economical, ethical, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner with the publication of our Sustainable Coconut Oil Sourcing Commitment.
- 2023: Continuing to scale up our sustainable coconut offerings