IFFCO Launches Region’s First Carbon-Neutral Olive Oil Product by Rahma

The UAE-based IFFCO Group has made a major move towards addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions, by revolutionising the olive oil production process.

By implementing sustainable practices, IFFCO has developed the first range of carbon-neutral olive oil products, produced in the region, under its popular Rahma brand.

The process not only preserves rich flavours but also minimises their environmental impact.

As part of efforts to improve its environmental track record, Rahma defined its carbon footprint and set its carbon reduction roadmap objectives to be achieved by 2030 in IFFCO’s olive oil value chain.

As 2023 has been designated as the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, and with COP 28 being hosted in Dubai, the group has partnered with Climate Impact Partners, a specialist company in carbon market solutions for climate actions, in order to expedite obtaining carbon neutral certification for two of its key product portfolios, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Rizwan Ahmed, ED at IFFCO Group said: “With ESG commitments very much to the forefront of our strategy, we have been able to research, develop, acquire certification and launch a carbon-neutral olive oil that aims to help protect our planet and promote sustainable practices within our industry while strengthening our status as a forward-thinking advocate for reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering our carbon footprint.

“Our Rahma farm and manufacturing facility, located in Tunisia, are now proudly producing and distributing carbon neutral Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, that complement the company's growth and strategic direction, which is to focus on the six critical pillars of people, customer relations, consumer satisfaction, sustainability, growth and governance, reinforcing the organization's position as an FMCG industry leader.”

The company has implemented a range of measures that include a holistic approach to reducing the environmental footprint of olive oil value chain, involving improvement to its own practices and working hand-in-hand with olive growers and suppliers to implement good practices and interventions across the food systems.

Rahma acquired its CarbonNeutral® product certificate from Climate Impact Partners by supporting two high-quality projects that will make genuine change possible and help keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. The two projects are: ‘Renewable Energy Portfolio Global’ and ‘Aqua Clara Water Filters, Kenya’, a strategy to invest outside the group’s value chain to compensate for any CO2 left after its own measures.

Rahma Carbon-Neutral Virgin Olive Oils is another step by IFFCO to contribute to adopting sustainable changes to the food system, through an agenda of “Investing in the Future” to help reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions from land use change, enhancing endeavours to work towards zero deforestation in key crops, decreasing waste generation, using packaging with a lower environmental impact, and addressing water scarcity.