Skip to content

Holding companies accountable on palm oil

Reporting guidance for responsible palm oil

Working to address issues such as deforestation and climate change caused by the farming and production of palm oil, which is the most widely-produced vegetable oil in the world, is a key element of our Forest Protection Campaign. While a great deal of progress has been made to mitigate the negative environmental and social issues that stem from its cultivation and production, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

We have been working with important stakeholders, including growers, traders, and manufacturers; farmers; non-governmental organizations; and policy makers to understand the challenges that continue to hinder the progression toward a sustainable palm oil supply chain. Through this work, it is evident that transparency continues to be a challenge. Due to its sheer complexity, it is difficult for investors, civil society groups, and customers to identify and understand where environmental and social risks exist within the palm oil supply chain.

To help provide a solution to this systemic problem, Green Century supported the Ceres-led initiative Reporting Guidance for Responsible Palm. The reporting guidance – aimed to improve corporate reporting – is meant to increase understanding, transparency, and accountability when it comes to the responsible and sustainable production and sourcing of palm oil. By providing a shared set of reporting guidelines, it is our belief that companies, third-party assessors, and other external stakeholders can more easily identify, understand, and measure environmental and social issues within the palm oil supply chain. And, with increased understanding and measurement, we believe that companies throughout the supply chain will be better equipped to implement effective solutions that lead to tangible improvements.

We know that this is merely one step toward the responsible production and sourcing of sustainable palm oil, but we do believe it is a significant one that will help deliver impact and lasting change. We look forward to the continued work and successes ahead and thank those of you who are working to promote our shared mission to promote a more environmentally responsible and sustainable world.

To learn more about our three-pronged approach of delivering impact through sustainable investing, shareholder advocacy, and unique non-profit ownership please visit the Why Choose Green Century webpages.  You can also email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-934-7336 to request materials and learn more about how we can help you make an impact through the power of your investments.


You should carefully consider the Funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. To obtain a Prospectus that contains this and other information about the Funds please click here, email info@greencentury.com, or call 1-800-934-7336. Please read the Prospectus carefully before investing.

Stocks will fluctuate in response to factors that may affect a single company, industry, sector, country, region, or market as a whole and may perform worse than the market. Foreign securities are subject to additional risks such as currency fluctuations, regional economic and political conditions, differences in accounting, and other unique risks compared to investing in securities of U.S. issuers. Bonds are subject to risks including interest rate, credit, and inflation. The Funds’ environmental criteria limit the investments available to the Funds compared to mutual funds that do not use environmental criteria.

This information has been prepared from sources believed reliable. The views expressed are as the date of publication and are those of the Advisor to the Funds.

The Green Century Funds are distributed by UMB Distribution Services, LLC. 1/17

Scroll To Top