Traceability of palm oil – route known from start to finish

All palm oil used by Neste has been fully traceable all the way to the plantation level since 2007, and 100% certified since 2013. We source palm oil only from carefully selected suppliers and from known and documented sources.

We purchase certified palm oil directly from the producer companies instead of purchasing separate certificates from the world market as, for example, many food industry companies do. Buying directly from producer companies provides us with better transparency and influence in our supply chain – the more direct the supply chain, the better.

Due to its liquid nature, palm oil cannot be traced with a tag on the side like, for example, oranges. However, methods approved by the authorities have been designed for tracing liquid products. We trace all of the crude palm oil we use with these methods.

Palm oil comes from carefully selected plantations

We know the exact location and land use history of every oil palm plantation supplying us. Therefore, we know that the plantations supplying us have not expanded into prohibited areas and do not have any intention to do so. Raw materials are supplied to us only from plantations specified in our contracts. 

As a forerunner in supply chain transparency, we have made comprehensive data on our palm oil supply chain public. Please visit our Neste traceability dashboard to view updated information on our suppliers, certification systems used, and certification documentation.

The site also provides access to a map service enabling the visitors to see the geographical location of the palm oil mills in our supply chain. The data covers all the companies, mills, and estates that supply palm oil to Neste. 

How is palm oil traced?

We trace all palm oil we use with methods approved by the EU and US authorities. The methods we use are mass balance and segregation, the latter meaning having completely separate supply chain from others.

When palm oil is purchased using the mass balance principle, certified palm oil can be mixed with raw material coming from other sources at the mill or storage facilities. The amount of raw material sourced by us is verified using accurate accounting, and we receive exactly the amount of certified palm oil we have bought.

The raw material batches do not wander by themselves; they are physically monitored throughout their journey from the plantation to the customer. All phases of the supply chain leave an imprint, as they are all documented and audited.

Segregated material, on the other hand, is not in physical contact with other raw materials at any phase of the supply chain.