Because margarine is made with natural products and vegetable oil seeds, manufacturers have a very close contact with nature. IMACE-IFMA has embraced sustainability as one of its core objective and is developing a holistic approach of it in its activities.
Environmental impact of margarine production
A study published in the November 2010 issue of the International Journal of LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) assessed the environmental impact of 7 products (butter and margarine) in the UK, Germany and France. For the UK market a spreadable butter containing 25% rapeseed oil was also included. The products selected represented the biggest selling stock keeping units (=brands) in the 3 countries.
The largest difference between butter and margarine occurs for carbon footprint i.e. margarine has less than 25% of the carbon footprint of butter. In the UK, the margarine required about 50% less energy, while for Germany the difference was about 25% and for France 20%.
Margarines use approximately 1/2 of the land required used for producing the butter products, as more land is needed to produce the feed for the cows (grains, grazing etc), than the land used for vegetable oil crops.
In general, IMACE Members Companies are supporting sustainability policies and sometimes prove to be leaders in their field. For example, Aigremont, a Belgian margarine manufacturer, owns the first factory generating green energy and being thus energetically neutral.
The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable production of palm oil worldwide. The RSPO is developing and implementing global standards, as well as promoting the use of sustainable palm oil.
Switching from palm oil to other vegetable oils may seem like an easy solution, but in reality it is more difficult since palm oil brings specific functional benefits for the food processor.IMACE-IFMA members, aware of these requirements, but also of the environmental challenges ahead, are supporting the production and use of sustainable palm oil.
IMACE-IFMA became an affiliate member of the RSPO in May 2011.