Nutreco launches industry first soy sourcing policy to prevent deforestation

Deforestation is one of the major sustainability challenges for the agri- and aquaculture sector. Soy and oil palm are major deforestation drivers, with over half a million hectares of rainforest, peatland and savannahs destroyed each year for the expansion of these crops.  

Annually, Nutreco buys around 1.5 million tonnes of soy ingredients and 80 000 tonnes of oil palm products. Certification schemes and standards are numerous, and provide a variety of deforestation assurances. These assurances vary per certification and they are continuously evolving, to reflect increased knowledge and ambition levels.  

To address the challenge of ensuring compliance with certifications, Nutreco procurement teams have launched a transparent policy, highlighting soy-producing regions on low and high risk of deforestation, and outlining the procurement requirements in areas of higher risk. Despite the Nutreco Sustainability Roadmap deadline of 2025 for deforestation-free soy and oil palm ingredients, ambitious intermediate milestones have also been determined for Skretting.  Further milestones for specific regions and/or species are being evaluated, for both Trouw Nutrition and Skretting. 

 “The concrete targets outlined in Nutreco’s new policy highlight the commitment to sustainable production, conservation of natural resources and also ensuring that local communities are treated with dignity and respect,” says Emese van Maanen, Managing Director of ProTerra Foundation. “We recognise the genuine concern for the regions from which they source ingredients and are in full support of this landmark approach.”   

“Procurement is about buying the right product at the right time, price and place,” says Robert van den Breemer, Skretting Procurement Director. “When it comes to soy and oil palm, buying the right product is difficult, and I am excited that with this policy, the Nutreco purchasing team now has a tool to make it easier to do the right thing. Because ending deforestation is the right thing, and we in Nutreco don’t just talk, we actually act.” 

“There is immense satisfaction in seeing our corporate divisions Skretting and Trouw Nutrition coming together and moving forward with ingredient purchasing policies that are pragmatic and can be implemented by our procurement managers in over 37 countries,” says Jose Villalon, Nutreco Sustainability Director. “These policies are fully aligned with our corporate sustainability strategy, RoadMap 2025.