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How to re-build confidence in the audit system of certification schemes
This report summarises why social audits fail to uphold certification standards and offers possible solutions to re-build confidence in the audit system. It provides examples to demonstrate the systemic malpractice and lack of redress present in a wide range of certification schemes and highlight the current flaws in the social audit process.
Greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain in palm oil producing systems: A case study of Cameroon
A study quantified the GHG emissions along the CPO life cycle using six non-certified palm oil mills in Cameroon. They found that the average GHG emissions per ton of crude palm oil produced were exceptionally high at 22.3 tCO2e compared to other palm oil producing regions in the world such as Indonesia with only 1.6 tCO2e/ton of CPO. Emissions sources from palm oil mills in decreasing order of magnitude are land conversion (78%), palm oil mill effluent or POME (21%), fertilizer use (0.9%), mill fuel combustion (0.1%) and grid electricity utilization (0.04%). While the palm oil sector in Africa is experiencing significant growth, only four producers on the entire continent have achieved RSPO certification. This provides RSPO with an opportunity to further engage with the African palm oil industry and contribute positively to emission reduction efforts within the region.
Sustainability practices and financial profitability: The case of the world’s top 20 crude palm oil producers
A recent study by University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) found that CPO producers with RSPO certification bore 5% losses compared to non-certified producers. This was mainly due to the high costs complying with RSPO and the lukewarm sales from the consumers. Despite the negative findings, the researchers emphasized that certification plays an important role in protecting nature and environment; value added to social living and improved corporate reputation.
Pre-certification conditions of independent oil palm smallholders in Indonesia. Assessing prospects for RSPO certification
Through interviews with 18 RSPO certified independent smallholder groups in Indonesia and 9 certification facilitators, this study examines how pre-certification conditions regarding smallholders’ socio-economic backgrounds, legality, group organization, planation management practices, and local supply chain conditions impact prospects for RSPO certification, and how groups who successfully achieved certification have dealt with challenges during the certification process.
Accelerating certification of oil palm smallholders through institutionalization of various incentives
This study aims to analyze to what extent incentives can accelerate sustainable palm oil certification, from what sources those incentives can be arranged, and types of incentives are appropriate for palm oil smallholders.
Global Market Report: Palm Oil Prices and Sustainability
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development dives into the latest developments in the palm oil industry, exploring how sustainability standards can contribute to ensuring equitable incomes for palm oil producers and encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices. The report also provide key recommendations to aid expansion of sustainable palm oil, such as addressing farmers’ needs through training in business and agricultural practices, improving coordination among all value chain actors to create incentives for sustainability, and enacting policies and measures by governments and the private sector to promote sustainably grown palm oil.
What does it mean to be compliant with sustainability standards and certification? Projecting confidence.
Following an analysis of multiple voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), including Rainforest Alliance, Better Cotton Initiative, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, and Bonsucro, a study reveals distinct compliance-indicator types within these VSS. Predominantly, these compliance-indicators fall into categories such as policy-based (48%) and practice-based (36%), while a smaller proportion comprises performance-based (10%) or measurement-based (6%) indicators. This paper finds that compliance with measurement and performance-based standards is more likely to translate directly to SDG indicators used by governments to report progress. Incorporating performance-based standards can increase the likelihood that compliance is achieving desired results.
Achieving Indonesian palm oil farm-to-table traceability through ISPO-RSPO harmonization
This paper highlights the overlap between private sector and the state in regulating the sustainability of palm oil industry in Indonesia through the presence of two different certification schemes: the voluntary, global market-driven Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the mandatory, state-driven Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO). Increasing demand from global consumers for proof of sustainability in the industry requires comprehensive supply chain traceability. Since product tracing in each certification scheme covers different phases of the long palm oil supply chains, there is an opportunity to improve traceability and cover the entire supply chain by harmonizing the certifications to better accommodate both Indonesian regulations and the global norms that regulate palm oil sustainability. Comprehensive traceability would benefit all industry stakeholders (government, companies, smallholders, and NGOs) in ensuring the sustainability of Indonesian palm oil products in the global market.
Complexities of sustainable palm oil production by smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa
The objective of this study was to understand the challenges and complexities of sustainable palm oil production by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The study provided a snapshot of the characteristics and practices of farms in Africa, namely Cameroon. Based on the results, smallholders face several challenges including weak land tenure rights, the use of poor-quality seeds and low-yielding oil palms, and a lack of skills, expertise, and access to financing. Certification could help alleviate some of the challenges by providing access to financing, training to improve yields, access to better seedlings, and increased access to higher value markets. However, the certification cost is very high compared to the income from oil palm cultivation for most farmers. Farmers will therefore need considerable assistance from organizations and brokers to remain financially viable.
Public engagement promotes consumer choice in favour of sustainable palm oil
Conducted in the Rainforest Biome of the world renowned Eden Project in the United Kingdom, this study explores public awareness of palm oil and understand the factors influencing sustainable consumer choice using a mixed-methods survey.
