Endorsement of the RSPO Complaints and Appeal Procedures 2017

The RSPO Secretariat is pleased to announce that the RSPO Board of Governors (BoG), at their last meeting on 14th June 2017, have endorsed the following revised document:

RSPO Complaints and Appeals Procedure, 2017

This document is effective as of 1 August 2017. Complaints received by the RSPO Secretariat prior to this date shall be dealt with under the RSPO Complaints Procedure that was previously in effect. 

This document will be supplemented by Interpretive Guidelines and new template for lodging of complaints, as of 1 September 2017. 

These revised procedures are an outcome of extensive review and feedback received from the three (3) public consultations held from September to October 2015, March to June 2016 and November to December 2016. It was also extensively reviewed and endorsed by the Complaints Panel on 19 April 2017.

The following documents are also attached to provide further clarity on the rationale and justification behind the final version based on the different approaches, practical experiences, and recommendations received:

1. Communique – which provides the rationale and justification for the basis of the final version

2. Compilation of comments from the Public Consultation on Complaints & Appeals Procedure (Nov 2016) 


This revised RSPO Complaints and Appeals Procedures aims to promote and realise constructive resolution of complaints and disputes by ensuring that any alleged breaches of standards and procedures in RSPO key documents are handled and resolved in a fair, impartial, and transparent manner.    

Please contact us at [email protected] if you require any further clarification.