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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.
Biodiversity impact of RSPO certification – an assessment of good practices
The study, commissioned by the RSPO, is aimed at evaluating whether the RSPO certification processes can or have contributed to the protection of species and landscapes, and identifies opportunities for improvement.
A review of the financial costs and benefits of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification: Implications for future research
Published in Sustainable Production and Consumption in 2021, this study reviews the existing literature to identify the financial outcomes associated with RSPO certification.
Pre-certification conditions of independent oil palm smallholders – Assessing prospects for RSPO certification
This study explores the differences in smallholders’ pre-certification conditions and prospects for certification to develop strategies to target smallholders that are currently not reached by certification initiatives.
Independent oil palm shareholder management practices and yield. Can RSPO certification make a difference?
The study aims to evaluate if and how certified smallholders perform differently from their non-certified counterparts in terms of management practices and yields, and to what extent this is related to RSPO certification.
To grip or to slip – Smallholder inclusion in sustainable palm oil certifications in Riau, Indonesia
This study examines the barriers that smallholders face in pursuing the regulatory process prior to the certification process and how they affect smallholder inclusion in sustainable palm oil initiatives.
Opportunities and bottlenecks for upstream learning within RSPO certified palm oil value chains: A comparative analysis between Indonesia and Thailand
Published in the Journal of Rural Studies in August 2020, this study investigates if and how RSPO certification fosters upstream learning to improve farming practices.
Non-state certification of smallholders for sustainable palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia
This study aims to understand the perceptions of RSPO certified smallholders about (1) the challenges and benefits of RSPO certification, (2) their willingness to maintain their certification, and (3) factors affecting their willingness.
Consumer preference for certified sustainable palm oil with environmental sustainability attributes: A choice experiment approach
This study explores Malaysian consumer knowledge of certified sustainable palm oil, and to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for cooking oil certified under RSPO.
Deforestation spillovers from oil palm sustainability certification
Published in Environmental Research Letters in March 2020, this study quantified forest loss and conservation spillovers from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification system in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan).
