Stephenson, a leader in the manufacture and supply of a wide range of solid and extruded soap bases, syndets, and naturally derived polyglyceryl esters for the personal care and beauty industry has reiterated its commitment to using RSPO-certified Palm Oil and Palm Oil derivatives in its products.
This follows the recent announcement by the European Union Commission on the postponement of the end of 2024 deadline of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).1
This has now been moved to the end of 2025 for large companies, and to June 2026 for small and micro enterprises in the wake of strong sentiments that there should have been more discussions with producing companies on the negative side effects of the proposals on smallholding and small-scale farmers.2
“As a responsible manufacturer of vegetable oil-based products, we applaud all initiatives to make the Palm Oil industry more sustainable. This is one of the reasons why we reiterate our commitment to only use Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Palm Oil and Palm Oil derivatives in the manufacture of our products,” Rob Carr, managing director at Stephenson says. “Since its launch 20 years ago, the RSPO has been instrumental in creating a sustainable Palm Oil supply chain, and for 13 of those years, Stephenson has been a staunch supporter of building a transparent and inclusive Palm Oil industry.”
Stephenson recognises that there are often valid sustainability and environmental issues linked to the use of conventional Palm Oil and Palm Oil derivatives in the manufacture of beauty and personal care products. But it also believes that when grown and harvested sustainably, Palm Oil can act as a force for good, protecting the environment, communities, employees, and wildlife.
“As a set of environmental and social criteria, RSPO guarantees the sustainable cultivation of Palm Oil during the entire supply chain. Rather than prohibit its use, we have taken the position to only source and use Palm Oil that is grown and managed sustainably and certified RSPO. Palm Oil is a highly productive crop versus other vegetable oils, which often use more land and natural resources which could lead to further negative environmental impacts,” Rob points out.
“We applaud all initiatives that work towards a more sustainable Palm Oil industry, and we are proud to be part of a major market that will continue to fight deforestation, including those set out in the EUDR.
“But we are also cognisant of the importance of preventing the exclusion of smallholdings from the supply chain that can halt or reverse progress on economic development of some countries. We therefore laud the EU in taking this step to ensure that all parties have enough time to implement the regulations set out by EUDR,” Rob concludes.
For more information on Stephenson’s Sustainability Policy click here.
