Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, “Marubeni”) will commence selling RSPO（*1）SCCS certified（*2）(MB) palm oil-based fatty acids (hereinafter, “RSPO certified fatty acids”) by stocking warehouses at several points in Japan and build a supply chain which is stable and meets the demand for both large and small amounts.

Environmental and social concerns have been raised over palm oil, which is one of the raw materials used in fatty acids. These include, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss caused in the process of cultivation, and human rights violations of plantations workers and other adverse impacts in the community. Due to such concerns, requests for the use of fatty acids produced from RSPO certified palm oil is increasing worldwide, including Japan.

Marubeni launched its Sustainability Management Committee this April under the supervision of the Marubeni’s president and CEO with the aim of strengthening the company’s sustainability initiatives. Marubeni, which has been selling RSPO certified fatty acids directly, will begin, for the first time in Japan, to maintain stocks of RSPO certified fatty acids to meet the potential needs of customers, and by promoting RSPO certified products will contribute to a sustainable society.

（*1） RSPO（Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil）：
The RSPO was established in 2004 by 7 organizations, including the World Wildlife Federation (WWF,) to meet the increasing need for environmental-friendly sustainable palm oil. It is a non-profit organization that promotes, as their objective, sustainable palm oil production and utilization, and is managed with the cooperation of stakeholders in the 7 sectors of the palm oil industry: oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Marubeni joined the RSPO as a member on February 22, 2015.

（*2）SCCS（Supply Chain Certificate System):
The SCCS guarantees that palm oil products in the production and distribution process meet the requested conditions. The system has 3 certified supply chain models and 1 credit model. Marubeni achieved SG（*3） and MB（*4） certification on October 8, 2015.

（*3）SG（Segregation）：
The SG supply chain model assures that RSPO certified palm oil and its derivatives delivered to the end user comes only from RSPO certified sources. It permits the mixing of RSPO certified palm oil from a variety of sources.

（*4）MB（Mass Balance）：
The MB supply chain model administratively monitors the trade of RSPO certified palm oil and its derivatives throughout the entire supply chain, as a driver for mainstream trade in sustainable palm oil.

Please refer to our progress in promoting RSPO certified products here. (www.rspo.org)