Already 93% of palm oil used in Europe is sustainably produced. However, to ensure a full transformation of the industry, additional action is needed. We, the Sustainable Palm Oil Choice, wrote a guidance for buyers of sustainable palm oil who want to lead the way.
8 Recommendations for companies who want to be a Sustainable Palm Oil Frontrunner:
- Buy 100% RSPO certified sustainable material (CSPO) for all types of palm oil used, including Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Palm Kernel Oil (PKO), Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) and Palm Oil Derivatives (POD); across the entire corporate group and covering all countries where you operate.
- Make an effort to move from buying certified material towards buying from certified and ‘clean’ suppliers.
- Beyond supply chain improvements, invest in palm oil producing landscapes to support sustainable agricultural practices, smallholders’ livelihoods, improved land tenure and protect and restore natural ecosystems.
- Join action-oriented sustainable palm oil platforms, including RSPO committees and working groups, National Initiatives for sustainable palm oil, the palm oil transparency coalition, the Sustainable Palm Oil Choice Initiative and potentially others to learn and engage.
- Engage your consumers! Communicate to consumers about the choice for RSPO CSPO so that they can understand and can also support the use of sustainable produced palm oil and how this contributes to solutions.
- Engage key government officials and policymakers to shape policy agendas that enable conservation and sustainable production, in demand and producing countries.
- Account for the progress you’ve made as well as the lack thereof.
- Celebrate and share success!
The full pledge, that was written by Solidaridad, Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund is available for download here.
European Union Deforestation Regulation
With the implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, companies might start to question the value of buying Independent Smallholder Credits of the RSPO. It is therefore important to stress that investments in smallholders are a perfect way to drive transformation beyond your own supply chains.
Ruben Brunsveld of RSPO: “Since Independent Smallholder Credits are a virtual trading mechanism, they cannot be used to help companies prove compliance with EUDR. However, this does not mean that European buyers can no longer buy ISH credits to support smallholders. That option remains available under EUDR as long as the physical supply chain is EUDR compliant. ISH Credits can be a good way for companies to fulfil their goals on smallholder inclusion and they are also valid for the calculation of the percentage of your CSPO uptake. From a communication perspective, they also offer advantages because you can show your stakeholders the added value of your sustainable purchasing investment.”
Sector-specific factsheets:
RSPO guidance for the feed sector can be found here.
RSPO guidance for the home and personal care sector can be found here.