Oils, Honey & Spices

Costco has a long history of supporting smallholder olive farms. Since 1996, Costco has directly supported thousands of smallholder farms in Tuscany to make high-quality Kirkland Signature™ Toscano PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

PGI signifies that:

• Every grower is registered;
• The number of trees and yields on each property are verified; and
• Each bottle is numbered in Tuscany under the strict guidelines of PGI to ensure traceability, authenticity and quality.

More information can be found in this Tuscan Olive Oil video.

Kirkland Signature 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sourced from outside Tuscany, is certified by an independent third-party organization, with each bottle carrying an ISO-certified sticker. More information can be found in this Italian Olive Oil video.

We continue to expand our certified single origin olive oil offerings from Greece, Italy and Spain. More information can be found in this Spanish Olive Oil video.

Costco is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and is committed to ensuring that the palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm kernel expeller, and other palm-based derivatives and fractions (“palm oil”) contained in Kirkland Signature^™ products is responsibly and sustainably sourced.

Our goal is that all palm oil used in Kirkland Signature products will be 100% RSPO certified (or equivalent) by December 31, 2021, or sooner, with a preference for physical palm. For a product to be RSPO certified, it must come from producers that have met the RSPO Principles and Criteria (RSPO P&C), which covers the most significant environmental and social impacts of palm oil production and the immediate inputs to production, such as seed, chemical, and water, and social impacts related to on-farm labour and community relations. These range from environmental protections, such as bans on new plantings on peatlands and burning forests to clearing new areas.

We continue to work with suppliers to meet this goal and our progress is as follows:

Reporting Year(1) RSPO Certified - Physical Palm Oil(2) RSPO Certified - Book & Claim Palm Oil Credits RSPO Certified(2) 2017 41.5% 4.6% 46.1% 2018 77.6% 4.3% 81.9% 2019 89.3%(3) 7.2% 96.4% 2020 96.7% 0.8% 97.5%

⁽¹⁾Per RSPO reporting requirements, the reporting/calendar year represents that year’s data, which is reported in May of the following year. For example, in May of 2021, we reported 2020 calendar year data.

⁽²⁾"Physical Palm Oil" , which is our preference, comes from supply chains that are Identity Preserved, Segregated, or Mass Balance, whereas "RSPO Certified" may include the Book and Claim System.

⁽³⁾Restated to reflect data correction

More information can be found in our Palm Oil Policy, the Annual Communication of Progress (ACOP) 2020 filed with RSPO and on our Environmental Impacts & Land Stewardship page.

Costco understands that soy is a major driver of tropical deforestation in countries such as Brazil. For that reason and others, Costco will continue to source Kirkland Signature Soybean Oil and Kirkland Signature Vegetable Oil made from soybean oil from the U.S. and Canada.

Costco understands that the honeybee population is experiencing multiple health threats. Honeybees are necessary for the pollination of approximately one-third of food consumed, including fruit, nuts and vegetables. Since 2012, Costco has invested over $6.5 million in honeybee health by contributing a portion of its sales of Kirkland Signature™ Honey items to the nonprofit honeybee research organization Project Apis m. (PAm). The projects that Costco supports continue to expand. Below are some highlights together with progress updates:

• Long-Term Stock Improvement, which includes breeding and developing varroa- resistant bees for a sustainable, chemical-free varroa control option and maintaining a functioning and sustainable genetic repository for honeybee germplasm to safeguard the genetic integrity and diversity of honeybees against future health threats. More information can be found here, The Hilo Bee Project & Varroa Resistant Bee video.
• Apiculture Technology Transfer Teams give U.S. beekeepers technical support in the field, survey honeybee health and educate beekeepers about Best Management Practices. These teams save beekeepers money, prevent losses and help to keep a finger on the pulse of bee health nationwide.
• Ph.D. Scholarship Grants provide to date more than $847,000 to support the future of honeybee research. The next generation of bee scientists bring new ideas, skills and dedication to the field of experts. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based doctoral degrees in fields within the Project Apis m. mission of enhancing honeybee health while improving crop production. More information about these scholars in the U.S. and Canada can be found here: PAm-Costco Scholars.
• Seeds for Bees Forage puts blooming plants back on the agricultural landscape, helping bees get the nutrition they need to stay healthy, pollinate, and make honey – all while increasing soil health and water infiltration. For more information, please view The 2021 Seeds for Bees Impact Report.
• The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund establishes high quality pollinator habitat to ensure honeybee and monarch butterfly population health. The Midwest is a critical area where efforts are focused to support honey production, pollination and native pollinators. For more information, please view The 2021 Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund Impact Report.
• Casa Apis is a cooperative of over 700 small-scale beekeepers in Northeast Brazil that is the source of Kirkland Signature Organic Raw Honey. Costco has a $100,000 grant to support efforts to plant drought-tolerant native trees in their community. As of August 2021, a total of 15,860 trees have been planted. More information about the project with Casa Apis can be found here: Trees for Bees.

In 2019, Costco introduced an additional honey category: 100% Local Raw Unfiltered Honey from various regions around the U.S. More information can be found in the following Costco Connection articles, Bee local and Honeybee health, in the Pollinator Health & Chemical Reduction section, and at ProjectApism.org.

Kirkland Signature^™ Black Pepper is one of our items that shows continuous improvement in both sourcing and packaging. The pepper we use is sourced from Vietnam, including from farmers in the Quang Tri Province. To learn more about how these Quang Tri Province farmers' livelihoods are improving, please read the Costco Connection article, Peppers for prosperity.

The packaging of Kirkland Signature Black Pepper has evolved over time to become more sustainable as follows:

• The top of the pepper grinder is removable to allow the grinder to be refilled and reused.
• The clear jar is now composed of 50% recycled PET and is recyclable.
• Additional shrink wrap film has been removed from the display tray, which reduces the amount of overall plastic packaging.