Get Certified

Certification Application Guidelines

This is a step by step guideline to help you navigate through the Orangutan Alliance Palm Oil Free Certification application process.

The Applicant for Orangutan Alliance Certification may be an individual or an authorised representative of a company or organisation.

Please contact us at info@orangutanalliance.org before you start the process if you need any clarification or have any questions.

1. A brand applies for certification via (Apply for Certification). You can find the alternative names for palm oil here (Alternative Names). The list is not an exhaustive list so please ensure that you have checked the origin source inputs of your ingredients. Please ensure when you complete your form, you write down names of products and any variations of flavours or scents within a particular range.

                         Please note: we do not accept RSPO ingredients.

2. A member from the Orangutan Alliance Certification team gets in contact (up to 2 weeks after application) and will provide a quote based on the number of products the brand wishes to certify (AUD $25-50 per label review fee) plus a certification cost from AUD $500 based on turnover. The brand settles the label review fee of invoice before proceeding and Orangutan Alliance will then forward additional guidance documents and templates to assist with your certification process.

3. The Brand begins the certification process by completing ingredient/product spreadsheets (including copy of all labels and barcodes where available), and sends their original source declaration for every ingredient in the products they wish to be certified. We will guide this process with template letters provided to the brand to assist with supplier and manufacturer information requests. The original source declaration must meet the Orangutan Alliance standard including:
   Please ensure your manufacturers of the relevant ingredient can provide the relevant assurance regarding palm oil free ingredients and derivatives. We need palm oil and palm oil derivative free declarations for ingredients and they will need to have the following items:

• The declaration statement with a) supplier/manufacturer’s letterhead b) the date corresponding to the current year, and c) signed by authorised representative
• States that no palm oil has been used anywhere in the manufacturing process from start to end of the finished product.
• The document must not include any clause absolving the manufacturer from legal liability (example according to the information we have been supplied).
• Substantiating document that shows the original source components and inputs of the ingredient. This substantiating document may come from Data Sheets, Flow Charts or Certificate of Analysis so long as we can clearly see the origin inputs of that ingredient. This document must come from the original source ingredient manufacturer/supplier.

Orangutan Alliance is not liable for misleading claims provided by brands, suppliers or manufacturers.

4. The brand sets up a continuity of supply agreement to ensure that their manufacturer only sources 100% palm oil free and palm derivatives free ingredients. An agreement will be arranged between the brand and manufacturer and/or supplier to guarantee that they will notify the company if/when there is a change in the ingredients and/or supplier, in order to ensure continuity of palm oil free supply. The Brand must immediately notify Orangutan Alliance in writing if there are any these changes prior to the modified product being released for sale with an Orangutan Alliance Seal.

5. The brand submits documents, labels and declarations for review, to ensure everything is in order and allows 4-6 weeks for Orangutan Alliance to review their application. The time it takes to review applications is generally influenced at how quickly documentation can be confirmed or is submitted by brands and their manufacturers. Thus in some cases, it may take longer than 4-6 weeks. If a company needs corrective action for an ingredient or document, they can re-submit updated documents within an agreed time frame. Please note that pdf labels of products being reviewed must match the ingredients that was declared and submitted to us  onset of the certification process.

6. Once a brand is successful in becoming certified, they will receive a certification certificate, Orangutan Alliance Palm Oil Free Seal Logos to use and promote. They will be announced via our social media channels and added to our certified products page (Certified Products)

7. Audits can be conducted at any time. Renewals occur every year for each company and it’s certified products. This becomes easier if no changes have been made to your formulas, ingredients or suppliers.

We will get back to you within two weeks of receiving your enquiry regarding documents we may require. Most of the time, the timeframe is dependent on how long it will take for us to receive your information and the number of products you have submitted.

The price depends on how many products you wish to get certified by Orangutan Alliance and your annual turnover. Once you apply, we will send you a full certification quote for your brand.

There are several benefits to certification as follows:

• Becoming certified shows your company’s commitment to transparency. The Orangutan Alliance palm oil free represents a sign of trust and care
• Easy to identify Orangutan Alliance palm oil free seal on your palm free products and marketing
• Instant shelf recognition with the Orangutan Alliance Seal
• Meet increasing demand from consumers seeking ‘Free From’ products
• Third party verification and evaluation of your product through our certification process
• Through the Orangutan Alliance certification program, profits are donated to conservation projects and organisations. By becoming certified with Orangutan Alliance, you are supporting conservation projects that we donate our profits to. The more brands that support this program by becoming certified, the more conservation we can support.

As a valued brand, you will be promoted via these channels and platforms:

• Brand promotion through our website and partner channels
• Marketing promotional opportunities in relevant campaigns throughout the year
• Marketing insight regarding consumers in this category
• Opportunity to be promoted through our Palm Oil Free Subscription Box

Orangutan Alliance certification is based on individual products submitted. Orangutan Alliance acknowledges that from time to time there are some manufacturers who have the best intentions in making products palm oil free but have encountered difficulty in sourcing palm oil free alternative or fully traceable ingredients, but have managed to develop part of their range to be palm oil free. We do not exclude these businesses from applying for certification on a product by product basis and encourage the industry to resolve this issue.

If you have one or more products in your range that are 100% palm oil and palm derivative free, you may be eligible for our certification.

Orangutan Alliance has the capacity to certify retail stores, cosmetics, food brands, and ingredient suppliers which are seeking palm oil free status. 

It is your responsibility to check with your manufacturers and suppliers to make sure you are not using an ingredient that has palm oil or is derived from palm oil. You can also refer to our handy list which has all alternatives names for palm oil. (Alternate Names for Palm Oil)

There are several manufacturers that promote palm oil free ingredients online. Due to confidentiality, we cannot list manufacturers we work with. It is your responsibility as a brand to ensure that your ingredients are palm oil free and have supporting documentation to back this claim (including an original source document) when undergoing certification with Orangutan Alliance.

Palm oil is unfortunately not always labelled as ‘palm oil’. There are over 200 names of palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Here are the alternative names for palm oil (Alternate Names of Palm Oils). Please note that this list of alternative names for palm oil is not exhaustive. We will continue to update this list as we receive new information regarding ingredients with palm oil derivatives. It is your responsibility as a brand to ensure that your ingredients are palm oil free and have supporting documentation to back this claim (including an original source document with input information to that ingredient). Some ingredients can come from different sources, example: vegetable oil can come from olive oil, or other oils including palm oil.

If you receive corrective action feedback regarding your product from us, we will give you time to address those issues. If the product fails due to an ingredient used, you can resubmit it at a later stage once you have reformulated or found a new supplier. Please note, this revised product may attract a new label review fee.