Another Year of Impact : RSPO’s Top Ten 

A look back at the top headlines of 2023, as RSPO wraps up another year marked with key milestones, achievements and success stories from across the world.  

First Independent Smallholder Group in Aceh, Indonesia Achieves RSPO and ISPO certification

In a former hot zone of illegal logging, a group of small farmers in Aceh have become sustainability role models protecting the Leuser Ecosystem, one of the last remaining tropical rainforest areas on the planet.

First Colombian Smallholders Receive RSPO Certification

The Entrepalmeros independent smallholder group becomes the first in Colombia to obtain RSPO Certification, reinforcing Latin America as the world´s fastest growing region in terms of certification.

Sustainable Palm Oil and the Increasingly Important Role of the Americas 

RSPO Members in North America and Latin America gathered together for the first time in Miami last May to address the increasingly prominent global role that the region plays in driving the future of sustainable palm oil. 

Three Orangutans Released in Salat Island through RSPO Smallholder Credits Support 

Meet the three new chestnut-haired inhabitants of the Indonesian island sanctuary of Salat, who were released into the island’s forests as part of their adaptation process before being returned to their natural habitat. The initiative was driven by Indonesian smallholders who disbursed RSPO Credit funds to support orangutan conservation.

Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue (SPOD) 2023 Explores Effective Implementation of EUDR 

A month after the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was adopted, industry leaders, smallholder representatives, civil society experts and government representatives gathered in Frankfurt at the annual SPOD to explore ways to ensure that no one – particularly smallholders and small and medium enterprises – is left behind.

ACOP 2022: CSPO Production Hits 15 million MT Milestone

Despite major economic disruptions in 2022, analysis of the Annual Communication of Progress (ACOP) released in September showed encouraging progress in the production, consumption and awareness of RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). 

RSPO Deepens Engagement with Japan in JaSPON X RSPO Conference 2023

As Japanese membership in RSPO continues to grow steadily alongside the advancement of the sustainable palm oil market, the Sustainable Palm Oil Network (JaSPON) and RSPO convened in Tokyo in October to address the way forward, including ensuring smallholder inclusion in the sustainable value chain, new and upcoming legislations, and the concept of Shared Responsibility towards making palm oil sustainable.

New Milestone: RSPO Certified Producers in Latin America Hit 2 Million MT of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil

Certified growers and producers in Latin America reach two million tonnes of CSPO, representing one-third of the region’s total palm oil production.

RSPO Fuels Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative in Edo State, Nigeria

RSPO’s Community Outreach programme in Nigeria’s leading palm oil producing Edo State yields positive results through the engagement of 11 local community groups, including indigenous communities, women and youth. Initiatives have been geared towards training and capacity development on sustainable practices and community rights amongst others.

RT2023: Celebrating 20 Years of Impact and Stronger Partnerships

With RSPO’s 20th anniversary fast approaching in 2024, the Annual Roundtable Conference on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT2023), held in Jakarta in November, underscored collective action, innovation and strengthened partnerships as the way forward for the coming decades.