RSPO and the Spanish Foundation on Sustainable Palm Oil Announce Reciprocal Membership

22 October 2025 – The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Spanish Foundation for Sustainable Palm Oil have announced their reciprocal membership, the latest alliance in a growing number of collaborative efforts across the European region. 

This milestone follows a year of strong collaboration, culminating in the RSPO Members Meet-Up hosted in Madrid last February, which offered members the opportunity to discuss the complex implementation of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in the Spanish context.

Francesca Morgante, RSPO Head of Global Key Accounts and Market Transformation (Europe), commented on the achievement, “It is encouraging to see how our work can be strengthened through close collaboration with national alliances across Europe. The ability to develop targeted campaigns that reflect the local context and address national laws and regulatory implementation is something our members greatly value.”

“This reciprocal alliance with RSPO represents a natural step forward in our efforts to strengthen a more sustainable supply chain, aligned with international standards,” said Horacio González-Alemán, Director General of the Spanish Foundation for Sustainable Palm Oil. “From Spain, we aim to actively contribute to a more informed European dialogue that combines sustainability, competitiveness, and responsible consumer communication. RSPO stands today as a model of global governance and multi-stakeholder collaboration, proving that true sustainability can only be achieved through collective effort.”

Emergence of National Initiatives in Europe

With a remarkable 90% uptake of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), Europe has been a trailblazer that has demonstrated outstanding progress in the sustainable sourcing of palm oil ingredients. However, the region is not immune to resistance against continued progress, due to the ongoing critical public perception of palm oil and insufficient consumer awareness of sustainable practices. 

To support the region’s progress as well as advocate for sustainable practices and support national-level efforts, such as campaigns and government engagement,a network of so-called “National Initiatives” has emerged as a valuable mechanism to complement RSPO’s work and presence in the region.

The shared goals and overlapping membership between these National Initiatives and RSPO have laid the foundation for collaborative approaches. A natural outcome of this alignment has been the reciprocal membership between RSPO and a growing number of National Initiatives, aiming to address country-specific issues, exchange expertise, and strengthen mutual support.

The Dutch Alliance on Sustainable Palm Oil, whose Secretariat is facilitated by MVO, has been an active RSPO Member since the early days of the global partnership, joining in 2005. More recently, in 2022, the Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil became an RSPO Member. In turn, RSPO joined the Italian alliance, taking an active role in its Scientific and Technical Committee, which oversees various projects and initiatives. This was followed by the Swiss Palm Oil Network, whose RSPO membership, managed by the company pluswert GmbH, was formalised in 2024.

As Europe continues to align national efforts under the RSPO framework, these alliances signal a growing commitment to sustainable palm oil. The latest reciprocal membership between RSPO and the Spanish Foundation marks another step forward towards a more unified European approach to sustainability, leading to great collective impact across the region. 

Morgante concluded, “Thanks to our recent engagement with the Spanish Foundation, we are eager to become more active in this market, which is one among the fastest-growing in terms of RSPO membership in the region.”