Contributes to:
Rapeseed – an important raw material for AAK
Today, rapeseed oil is an important vegetable oils used
in food as well as biodiesel.
Rapeseed has become the oil plant of Northern
Europe. Outside Europe, the dominant producers are
Canada, China and Australia.
Rapeseed production continues to be impacted by
multiple factors, drought and excessive rains, as well as
regulatory related reduction in use of plant protection
products.
Rapeseed is a very important raw material for AAK
and is one of a few raw materials that AAK is crushing in
its own facilities.
Understanding our supply base
In order to deepen our understanding of the global
rapeseed (canola) industry, AAK has commissioned
Proforest to conduct a risk analysis for this supply chain.
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oils processed by AAK, the production of oilseed rape
does not have sustainability issues such as deforesta-
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challenges. At most points of origin, sustainability
impacts related to rapeseed production are mitigated to
some extent by good agricultural practices, supported
by legal frameworks and environmental incentive
schemes in AAK’s main sourcing origins.
At AAK, we use Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)
to analyze the impact of our rapeseed supply chains
globally, but also in comparison to other oil crops. With
full insight into the climate impact of our supply chains
we can work towards minimizing that impact and offer
our customers the best solutions.
These studies have shown that the environmental
impacts of rapeseed are strongly correlated with the
amount and type of fertilizer used, relative to the yield
of crop.
AAK will use these insights from Proforest to set
ambitions for the work around rapeseed sustainability in
2020 and beyond.
Engaging with suppliers and farmers
Much of the rapeseed used in AAK’s products is grown
in Sweden, where farms have increased their output
in recent years. Through close cooperation with the
farmers, AAK is able to maintain control of the entire
value chain, from the production of raw material to
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oil extraction is used as animal feed.
In 2019, we experienced a growing demand for
sustainable rapeseed. The demands include locally
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sustainable rapeseed in general. The focus market for
this development was Europe. We have engaged with
our UK suppliers to increase traceability and we have
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