No room for complacency for sustainable palm oil or RSPO ‘will be left behind’

04-Jun-2015 - Last updated on 05-Jun-2015 at 10:05 GMT

The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has set out ambitious new targets to ensure that it reaches 100% certified sustainable palm oil in Europe by 2020, stressing the importance for change, saying there is no room for complacency.

At the organisation’s third European Roundtable in Amsterdam this week, all parties present agreed that certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) is part of the answer and acknowledged the work done by RSPO so far.

The new set of ambitious regional objectives for market uptake established by the RSPO will look to reach 100% CSPO in Europe by 2020, 50% in Indonesia and Malaysia, and 30% in India and 10% in China.

Challenges

However, there are still a number of challenges that RSPO will need to address in order to implement its market transformation vision in Europe and globally.

“Times are changing. Watch this space, there is more to come. If we do not change, RSPO will be left behind,” said Biswaranjan Sen, Co-chair of the RSPO Board of Governors and VP Chemicals Procurement & Supply Procurement at Unilever, at the event.

When it comes to the challenges the organisation will face, RSPO says that credibility and sustainability are high on the agenda.

To meet the credibility challenge, Biswaranjan Sen stressed that RSPO is not a club, and that the organisation has taken serious measures to suspend or expel non-compliant members earlier this year, and has revamped its complaint panel.

Among the biggest sustainability challenges, Jonathon Porritt, Forum for the Future and Chair of the High Carbon Stock Study, highlighted a need “for a robust methodology to balance forest protection with the socio-economic interest of local communities.”

Driving up market demand in all companies and sectors is another key challenge RSPO needs to address, particularly in Europe, as RSPO believes there is no better place than the EU for members to work together to drive uptake of CSPO.

Government support

However, the support of governments is needed and stakeholders should be encouraged to share their ideas with policy makers.

Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, said at the event: “I stand here as a businessman. Business can contribute to a sustainable future, but I think there is also a role for governments to play.”

Christiaan Rebergen, Director General International Cooperation, Government of The Netherlands, agreed, saying “RSPO cannot do it alone”, adding that frontrunners in Europe represent an opportunity.

“How do we get the European market to reach 100%? The Dutch government will back this process during its EU presidency. And Minister Ploumen tends to put the sustainability of the international value chain on the EU agenda, starting with a high level conference in December.”

Cosmetics and personal care are one of the industries that are affected by these issues as approximately 70% of products contain palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their derivatives.