Why mill list upload is Palmoil.io’s best kept secret

A mill list doesn’t look like much. It’s typically just a table with rows of mill names and Universal Mill List (UML) IDs. It’s also arguably the best piece of information for companies conducting a risk review for EUDR deforestation-free and legality requirements. This is why next week’s Feature Highlight Webinar is all about the mill list upload. 

This post explains how Palmoil.io can turn your mill list into a comprehensive investigation into deforestation, legal concerns, and a range of other risks that may be linked to the supply chain. And the best thing is it takes literally seconds. Here’s how.

So what is a mill list? 

Mill lists are a triumph of open data. Of the 6 commodities covered by the EUDR, only palm oil has a universal tier 2 supply list and a global body, the RSPO, that requires its members to publish one. A few years back, a coalition of organizations established the Universal Mill List, which assigns mills an ID based on an agreed identification methodology. Anybody can submit a new mill to the UML here, which we and other companies do.

Many major producers, refiners, traders, and consumer goods companies publish a list of all the mills that they source from. The lists have limitations. For example, companies may only update them once a year and changes to the supply chain will not yet be reflected, so it is always important to request the most recent information from your suppliers.

What is Mill List Upload?

Mill List Upload allows you to securely check your mill list for risks inside your private Portfolio area of Palmoil.io.  Palmoil.io mill list upload matches your mill list to our mill database, which then is linked to surrounding plots. Our estimated traceability model, called eTTP, identifies plots that likely supply your mills and gives you complete historical and recent deforestation statistics, linked grievances, and our expert-reviewed Risk Insight reports. 

Your mill list upload also comes with a handy summary of all your mills. It tells you the average amount of deforestation in 25 km proximity of each mill and each plot that we trace to the supply chain. This is a useful risk proxy for tracking your progress. Lower rates of deforestation, particularly at the plot level, are good indicators of risk. 

All of this takes place in our secure, private, Portfolio feature. In Portfolio, you can upload your mill list to share with your team or keep it fully private and only visible to you. Portfolio’s allow you to securely add additional information such as volume totals, your direct supplier, and other information. You can then download the results as a CSV for integration into your own internal tracking system. 

So what are the benefits?

Reviewing a new mill list

About to take the plunge and publish a mill list or you have a new one that you want to check? Before you publish your new mill list, you can check if it is linked to any new grievances, check out to see if the deforestation averages have increased and decreased, and see if we have made any new Risk Insights. These insights allow you proactively engage your suppliers before your mill list is published and begin risk mitigation at the earliest opportunity.  

Supplier screening

Thinking about bringing on a new supplier? Simply load their mill list into a portfolio and find out any unresolved grievances that they may be linked to, their overall deforestation trends, and any risk insights that we may have produced. 

Preparing for the EUDR

Palmoil.io already contains a wealth of EUDR-relevant information. All of our grievances and risk insights currently contain a EU risk category. You can check any grievances or risk insights that you are linked to. We are also working on a Palmoil.io update that will offer in depth EUDR Risk Ratings, based specifically on the EUDR forest and deforestation definitions and legality requirements. If you would like to join our EUDR Prep Service, and access our new data and features, contact us. 

How does this differ from other EUDR tools?

We are the only service offering this type of instant mill list upload tool to check for initial EUDR risks. You instantly get risk insight reports with before and after satellite imagery that you can download as a PDF. Since it is fully automated you can check as many mill lists as you want, as often as you want.  When you are ready to transition to plot lists, we offer similar functionality for plots using Plot Check, and Plot Check will soon also generate a full EUDR due diligence output with deforestation-free checks that can be submitted to the EU.  If you need help with plots, we can make an initial plot list as part of our EUDR Prep Service.

I don’t have a mill list. Can you still use the mill list upload?

Yes! Palmoil.io contains dashboards for over 1,000 companies including major palm producers and traders. We also organize mill lists by facility such as refinery, crusher, and oleochemical plant. We can help you build a mill list using other company lists and facilities, so you can start monitoring. 

Make the most of your mill list

We recognize that taking the leap to publish a mill list is a bold one, and there are still some major producers and buyers of palm oil that have yet to make the plunge. But with the EUDR and other regulations requiring disclosure down to the plot, mill lists have never been more relevant and helpful. If you are a subscriber, palm mill uploader is your now not-so-secret-weapon in getting yourself and your suppliers EUDR ready. And if you aren’t a subscriber yet, our webinar next week will be particularly helpful. We will show you how palm mill list upload in action and learn more about the deep insights it can give you. We look forward to seeing you then!