New buyers purchase 250 thousand tons of RTRS soy in 2018
The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) works continuously to ensure that the soy production chain follows environmentally sound, economically viable and socially fair practices. This effort has been recognized by companies wishing to promote and encourage sustainable soy production, processing and trade worldwide.
The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) works continuously to ensure that the soy production chain follows environmentally sound, economically viable and socially fair practices. This effort has been recognized by companies wishing to promote and encourage sustainable soy production, processing and trade worldwide.
As such, 2018 saw the purchase of 250 thousand tons of RTRS material (197 thousand tons of which was physical flow) by 25 new buyers, RTRS members and non-members alike. The purchasing companies are from the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, India, Thailand, South Africa, Chile and Brazil.
“Companies are motivated to follow key global agreements on sustainability. Additionally, consumers – especially in Europe – are becoming increasingly demanding and require that companies support and endorse sustainable actions to protect the environment and biodiversity, in addition to ensuring social and labor rights,”says Marcelo Visconti, Executive Director of RTRS.
One of the new buyer companies is Sligro Food Group from the Netherlands. Sligro Food Group encompasses foodservice businesses in the Netherlands and Belgium, offering a full range of food and food-related non-food products and services in the food and beverages wholesale market. According to Inge van Disseldorp, Sustainable Food Process Manager at Sligro Food Group, the company invests directly in a select group of Brazilian farmers, by purchasing RTRS credits to promote deforestation-free sourcing in the long run.
“RTRS’ certification scheme is widely recognized as the system that promotes responsible production. Certified farms must be approved by auditors and meet the requirements for sustainable production. The RTRS standard is the only certification scheme that guarantees zero deforestation. It also sets forth important social requirements with clear criteria pertaining to human and labor rights”, Disseldorp points out.
New buyers include South African company Woolworths Holdings Limited, a multinational retail enterprise that operates in multiple industries: food and financial products and services, among others. IKEA, a Swedish-based global retailer, distributes its products through a network of resellers of its own, and has made its first purchase this year for the Swedish market. AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG is a German agriculture company that works with agricultural products, feed, plant harvesting and agricultural technology. Chilean companies Los Fiordos Ltda, Biomar Chile S.A. and Chilenos Vitapro Chile S.A. focus on the marine market and the aquaculture industry.
Bunge Iberica stood out by purchasing 165 thousand tons of RTRS-certified physical soy under the Mass Balance model, as did Thai companies Thai Vegetable Oil PLC and Thanakorn Vegetable Oil Products Co. Ltd., each having purchased 15 thousand tons of RTRS-certified soy.
Other companies that purchased RTRS material for the first time in 2018 are Schouten Europe BV., Zesty B.V., Royal Zeelandia Group, Harbro Ltda, Dobla Beheer B.V., Solina Group, MP-Maustepalvelu Oy, Hankkija Oy, Caldic Ingredients Sweden AB, Nordic Green Food AB, Marimat AB, Orkla Foods Sverige AB, ARYZTA Bakeries Deutschland GmbH, Cargill GmbH, Royal Canin do Brasil Plant and AdaniWilmar Ltda.
“These organizations are committed to the soy production chain and believe that sustainability is an important part of their social and environmental responsibility. They also believe in meeting their customers’ demand for responsible products”, states Marcelo Visconti.
