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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.
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.
Palm oil and the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label: Are Swiss consumers aware and concerned?
Through an online survey, this study explores Swiss consumers’ associations with, perceptions and awareness of palm oil and the RSPO label.
Industry-driven mitigation measures can reduce GHG emissions of palm oil
Published in 2022 in the Journal of Cleaner Production, this article performs a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of palm oil for two case studies: PT SMART’s Hanau and Sungai Rungau facilities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The objective is to quantify the reduction in GHG emissions and nature occupation that has been achieved by implementing industry-driven measures.
Implications of zero-deforestation palm oil for tropical grassy and dry forest biodiversity
This article examines locations suitable for zero-deforestation expansion of commercial oil palm, which is increasingly expanding outside the tropical rainforest biome, by generating empirical models of global suitability for rainfed and irrigated oil palm.
The role of information in consumer preferences for sustainable certified palm oil products in Germany
Conducted in Germany, this study uses data from a discrete choice experiment to analyze consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for sustainability indicators on products that contain palm oil as an ingredient.
Achieving palm oil sustainability under contract: Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and family farmers in the Brazilian Amazon
This paper examines how local institutions and family farming labor relations shift and reconfigure in response to The Roundtable on Sustainable Oil Palm (RSPO) certification in Brazil where demanding state regulations exist in a context of uneven enforcement. The article focuses specifically on three requirements related to the interaction between RSPO and Brazilian regulations following Principle 2 of the RSPO, ‘Operate legally and respect rights:’ (1) comply with conservation areas; (2) palm oil producers must have land titles and uncontested ownership rights; and (3) comply with national rural labor laws.
Harnessing relational values for global value chain sustainability: Reframing the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s offset mechanism to support smallholders
The main aim of this paper is to study how relational values (values arising from relationships between people and others and/or between human and non-human phenomena) framing might affect stakeholders’ perceptions of credit mechanisms in a deforestation-linked value chain.
Governing sustainability in the Thai palm oil supply chain: the role of private actors
This study evaluates the role of private actors in the governance of the palm oil-supply chain in Thailand by comparing supply-chain actors that are certified with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards and non-certified supply-chain actors.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and transnational hybrid governance in Ecuador’s palm oil industry
The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyze the impact of the local introduction and institutionalization of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil standards in Ecuador. The paper seeks to answer two main research questions: 1. How does the local introduction and institutionalization of RSPO standards affect national and sub-national environmental governance structures and relations in the context of palm oil production? 2. How do RSPO standards reconfigure traditional notions of power and authority within the palm oil industry?
