Sustainability

As one of the world’s leading agricultural processors and food-ingredient providers, ADM commits to build traceable and transparent agricultural supply chains that protect forests worldwide.

Though we are not a grower of crops, we work independently and with industry partners and other stakeholders to improve the quality of crops in the global supply chain, the lives of farmers and communities that grow them, and the environment we share.

On May 7, 2015 ADM announced its Commitment to No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation, and to building traceable and transparent agricultural supply chains that protect forests worldwide, with an initial focus on palm oil and soy. In 2020, we began the process of reviewing this policy. Improvements were made in order to reflect current social and environmental standards and stakeholders’ expectations. The updated policy on ADM’s Commitment to Protecting Forests, Biodiversity and Communities was released in March 2021.

ADM set a focus to implement a responsible palm kernel expeller (PKE) program alongside the sustainable palm program. The palm supplier scorecard tool was implemented, which provided a basis for engagement on the topic of sustainability with PKE suppliers. This work seeks to continuously improve supplier sustainability performance and reinforce ADM’s responsible sourcing expectations.

Semi-annual progress reports are published on the ADM website and report against the 2020-2023 Palm Oil Action Plan. The reports outline progress made on the four pillars of ADM’s palm sustainability journey: Supply Chain Traceability, Supplier Engagement, Monitoring and Verification, and Reporting.

In order to transparently address any potential non-compliances, ADM updates its log of Grievance and Resolutions on a monthly basis. In case of non-compliances, ADM follows its Managing Supplier Non-Compliance procedure. And stakeholders are invited to raise any concerns related to the implementation of our policies. All allegations will be thoroughly investigated.

ADM also funds various sustainability related projects in the palm industry. More information regarding ongoing projects can be found in the semi-annual progress reports.

Learn more by visiting our progress tracker for soy, palm and human rights.