Palm oil - council position statement

The council’s position on the use of palm oil

Palm Oil production is recognised as being important within developing countries and is a productive, commercial vegetable oil crop. East Riding of Yorkshire Council do not intend to reduce or stop palm oil consumption altogether, as this practice would be likely to increase the demand for other oils which have their own negative environmental issues.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council are keen to help move the demand from non-sustainable to Certified Sustainable Palm Oil through the actions outlined on this page.

Supporting the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

East Riding of Yorkshire Council supports the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) which has developed criteria for palm oil to be produced sustainably, and continues to enhance its scheme with improvements in traceability and sustainability within the supply chain.

Visit the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil website

Making the change and becoming members of RSPO has been very straightforward and shows how much East Riding of Yorkshire Council are committed to valuing the environment.

Catering across council venues

The catering team is aiming for all menus in leisure centres, civic buildings and schools to be incorporated RSPO certified by September 2023. East Riding of Yorkshire Council have already identified waffles which were produced with non sustainable palm oil, and these have been removed from sale. We are working with our supplier to source an alternative product.

Our commitment

East Riding of Yorkshire Council continues to take steps to remove all non-sustainable palm oil from its supply chain, and is committed to only selling and using products that use CSPO from physical sources. We are aware that regular audits will need to be undertaken to achieve these goals.

We will:

Commit to liaising with suppliers and contractors to identify non-sustainable palm oil within products, and replacing these products with those containing Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
Commit to educating and encouraging suppliers and contractors about palm oil.
Change products, suppliers or contractors if they fail to source or use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
Champion those suppliers and contractors who commit to using Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
Commit to raising public awareness of the issues surrounding palm oil, through formal and informal education and communication.
Commit to sharing good practice with other organisations to raise awareness within industry.
Recognise that a regular and continual review process of products is required in order to ensure East Riding of Yorkshire Council is achieving its goal of sustainable palm oil use.

Position Statement review date: July 2024

Managing our environmental impact

East Riding of Yorkshire Council delivers a comprehensive range of services to approximately 343,201 residents settled over the 930 square miles of the East Riding of Yorkshire. As one of the area’s largest employers and consumers of goods and services the Council recognises that its operations and service delivery affect the environment both at a local level and beyond.

The council is committed to effectively managing its own environmental impacts, encouraging, and supporting others to do the same and continuously striving to improve the environment for the benefit of its employees, residents, businesses, and visitors to the East Riding of Yorkshire. This is reflected within the Council’s Business Plan through the corporate priority ‘Valuing the Environment’.

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