KTC completes switch to 100% certified segregated sustainable palm oil

KTC Edibles Ltd, Britain’s largest independent distributor of edible oils, is now offering only 100% segregated certified sustainable palm oil to its customers.

This marks the successful achievement of its 2019 pledge to make the switch to RSPO certified sustainable segregated palm oil by the end of 2022, after signing up to the RSPO Shared Responsibility Initiative. Previously, the company had offered a selection of certified sustainable options, including segregated and Mass Balance, alongside a smaller quantity of non-certified palm.

Over the last three years, KTC has been phasing out the remainder of these non-certified and lower certification (Mass Balance) palm products – replacing them with certified segregated sustainable options. To drive this transition, the company has been engaging with and educating customers on the benefits of sustainable alternatives, developing new products and proactively encouraging them to make the switch.

Gary Lewis, Chief Commercial Officer at KTC, said: “We recognise the social and environmental impact of our business and wider supply chain. Palm oil can be a truly sustainable option, as long as it’s grown in a responsible manner – and today, 100% of our palm we offer is RSPO certified segregated sustainable.

 “We’re really proud to have achieved the milestone on schedule – and it’s the blueprint for the future direction of the KTC brand. We will continue to make improvements on sustainable palm, while working hard to improve the sustainability credentials of other key commodities.”

 Achieving this milestone has been a key aspect of KTC’s wider sustainability plans. The company has been investing heavily in leading the way on sustainable sourcing to achieve a greener future for the oil and fat industry, from the farms and plantations to manufacturing and delivery.

In addition to actively promoting sustainable practice across all their palm oil suppliers, the company has specific goals in place for traceability. These include having traceability back to 100% of the mills used in their supply chain and plans to increase their traceability back to the plantation from 23% to 50% over the next 12 months.

Founded in 1972, KTC Edibles employs more than 275 people across two UK sites in Wednesbury and Liverpool. The company supplies more than 250m litres of cooking oils to customers of all sizes across the UK food industry each year. Additional information about KTC’s sustainability pledges can be found at https://www.ktcoilsandfats.co.uk/.