Certification

A global certification system for certified sustainable palm oil.

RSPO Certification assures individuals that RSPO Members who produce or physically handle RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) have obtained RSPO Certification. It includes the assurance that the member has committed to and complied with sustainability requirements, and can make a claim on their certification status and communicate this throughout the supply chain.

To become RSPO Certified, organisations are required to demonstrate compliance with the applicable RSPO Standards. They must complete a thorough and continued verification process through a systematic annual audit process, as well as maintain and improve their compliance status, reflecting continuous improvement.

Elements of the RSPO Certification Scheme

#1. Standards

RSPO Standards, against which certification assessments are made, set the sustainability requirements that must be met by the member. Following best practices of ISEAL for credible sustainability standards, the RSPO Standards have been developed based on inputs obtained from a multi-stakeholder approach, and consist of:

• RSPO Principles and Criteria
• RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard
• RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard

Acknowledging the evolving context of sustainability, each standard is reviewed every five years. The associated guidance documents related to the implementation of the standards can be found here.

#2. Accreditation

Accredited third party certification bodies (CBs) conduct audits to evaluate members’ compliance against the RSPO Standards. To ensure that members are competent to undertake credible, consistent audits, the RSPO Certification System requires that only accredited CBs are allowed to provide the RSPO Certification services.

CBs that offer RSPO Certification services are accredited by Assurance Services International (ASI). This is an established accreditation body that has demonstrable expertise in monitoring the performance of CBs globally, through a well-developed accreditation process. The CBs’ performance is evaluated and closely monitored by the accreditation body. View the full list of RSPO accredited CBs.

#3. Process requirements

This is the process for establishing whether or not a set of requirements (e.g. the standard) has been met and is carried out by an accredited CB. RSPO Certification systems are detailed in the RSPO Certification System for Principles and Criteria, the RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard, and RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard Systems documents.

If you’re interested to know about RSPO Certification, please feel free to contact us at Certification Helpdesk. Or to further clarify our RSPO Standards, please log your enquiries in the RSPO Interpretation Forum.

Please click on the relevant link which will drive you to the directory of certified RSPO Members and more:

• Search for Certified Growers
• Search for Certified Independent Smallholders
• Search for Supply Chain Certificate Holders
• Trader Licence Holders
• Distributor Licence Holders
• Search members