US-headed independent, global speciality ingredients company INOLEX Inc., has announced that it has "exceeded industry standard" by fully transitioning all palm-derived products within its portfolio exclusively to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Mass Balance certified material.
The Balance & Act Program is part of INOLEX’s broader sustainability platform, which maintains the company’s commitment to helping transform the palm oil industry and promote sustainable palm production and trade through the sourcing of certified, traceable raw materials.
In January 2018, INOLEX began to offer customers the option of RSPO Mass Balance certified material for all palm-derived ingredients in its portfolio. Taking the next step INOLEX has now moved to 100 percent RSPO Mass Balance certified palm feedstocks and will manufacture exclusively RSPO Mass Balance certified materials for all of its palm-derived products.
All palm-derived INOLEX products manufactured after January 1, 2020, are RSPO Mass Balance certified as designated by the Mass Balance acronym “MB” at the end of the product name.
As an independent ingredient manufacturer, we are going above and beyond what our partners and customers expect. We knew it was time to take the lead with this important step to help shift the industry-standard towards more sustainable palm sourcing and trade said Dr Lisa Gandolfi, Director of Marketing, INOLEX.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable palm oil formed in 2004 to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil.
The RSPO vision and mission is to transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm. Mass Balance (MB) is one of three supply chain models in the RSPO Supply Chain Certification scheme.
To sell MB products, a site must comply with the RSPO standard and maintain their certification. The site undergoes an audit annually to maintain the certification. The MB versions of products are chemically equivalent to the original product.
INOLEX Sustainability Program
INOLEX recently released its 2019 Sustainability Progress Report, which spotlights key initiatives that were accomplished during the past year. Included in the report is the company’s commitment to traceability.
The Balance & Act Program details INOLEX’s full transition of all palm-derived products within its portfolio exclusively to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Mass Balance certified material, thereby exceeding the industry standard.
Also highlighted in the report is the company’s participation in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Program to independently certify the naturality and sustainability of its plant-derived technologies.
INOLEX says that it has the largest USDA BioPreferred Certified ingredients portfolio for the category Intermediates – Personal Care Product Components, with 83 products, as of December 31, 2019.
INOLEX’s 2019 Sustainability Progress Report serves as an interim report, noting the company’s successful transition of its US production platform in 2019 to a new flagship manufacturing site in Charlotte, North Carolina (NC).
