Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 21 • 30th November 2007

Palm Oil Certification Launched; Green Groups Weary

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Meeting at the Fifth Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the palm oil industry launched a certification process to guarantees the sustainability of its production. This step follows weeks of intense criticism by environmental groups that worry about the palm oil industry’s practices.

The RSPO is a multi-stakeholder process that aims to advance the production, procurement and use of sustainable oil palm products. Member governments, industry representatives and environmental groups gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, for the roundtable on 20-22 November. The most important achievement of the meeting was the agreement on a certification process that will allow the industry to track where the palm oil originates. Up until now, manufacturers were unable to track the plantation-to-processor stage of production. The first certified palm oil will be available in the first quarter of 2008.

Efforts to protect rainforests and wildlife, avoid conflicts with indigenous people and improve palm oil yields were among the commitments required under the new certification scheme. The majority of the world’s palm oil is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, and environmental groups have cautioned that plantations are causing havoc in the area. New developments are spurring deforestation and conversion of peatland - eventually leading to significant releases to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenpeace released a report in early November that drew attention to problems in Indonesia (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 16 November 2007, http://www.ictsd.com/biores/07-11-16/inbrief.htm#2). Friends of the Earth recently withdrew its support for the palm oil industry, arguing that biofuels, and especially palm oil, production is destroying natural habitats for wild life and indigenous peoples, as well as contributing to global warming. The group also argues that biofuel production drives up the global price of staple foods, as palm oil is being diverted from food manufacture to supply the growing demand for biofuels. Furthermore, Friends of the Earth favours action to reduce energy consumption and cut emissions at the source. They called on the UN climate change meeting in Bali, Indonesia in December to “say no to agrofuels.”

Additional resources

For meeting documentation from the Fifth Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil, visit http://www.rspo.org/RSPO_Certification_Scheme_for_Sustainable_Palm_Oil_Launched_at_RT5.aspx

“Green Group Wary of Plans for ‘Eco-Friendly’ Palm,” REUTERS, 27 November 2007; “Sustainable palm oil system soon,” by Hanim Adnan, MALAYSIA STAR, 26 November 2007; “Palm oil industry announces “eco” standards for production,” MONGOBAY.COM, 26 November 2007; “Palm oil industry moves closer to “green” labeling,” REUTERS, 26 November 2007.