Introduction

What is a Credit?

An RSPO Credit represents 1 tonne of certified sustainable palm oil, certified sustainable palm kernel oil or certified sustainable palm kernel expeller plus all of the above but distinctively produced by independent smallholders. It is also possible to produce or buy RSPO NEXT Credits. The credit ‘represents’ the one tonne of palm oil product in the sense that for every credit bought, a premium goes to the producer that has put its efforts in making sure one tonne of palm oil is produced according to the RSPO Principles and Critera. In the case of RSPO NEXT credits, producers have exceeded these criteria even further. It also means that, as the buyer of these credits, you do not receive the physical certified palm oil, but your physical palm oil usage is accounted for by credits. This way, you are offsetting your palm oil usage by investing in a more sustainable market.

RSPO Credits explained:
The book & claim supply chain model for buyers and sellers

Buyers

Your contribution

If you wish to contribute to a more sustainable palm oil market because you and you customers are worried about the negative side effects of palm oil production, trading in RSPO Credits is a good place to start. Each RSPO Credit amounts to one tonne of certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil that is certified against the RSPO Principles and Criteria by independent accredited certification bodies. This means that with each credit you buy, you are actively supporting sustainable production around the world. Credits furthermore allow you to invest in the sustainable market via the online trading platform PalmTrace anywhere, anytime and to directly and immediately claim this sustainable investment on your products.

Why start with credits?

The purchasing of credits is an important first step towards worldwide sustainable palm oil production because it contributes to creating a critical high demand for sustainable palm oil products in the global market. This growing demand in turn allows for increased investment in making the palm oil supply chain more traceable, transparent and sustainable overall. This investment is desired and much needed, as keeping sustainably produced palm oil physically separated throughout the global supply chain can be complicated due to the chain’s complex characteristics. As a consequence, continuous improvement is needed in order to create more availability and economic accessibility of sustainable segregated palm oil for a wide array of buyers, and for all of the different palm oil products they desire. The purchasing of credits can help accelerate this investment and, in turn, the market transformation. With buying credits, you are contributing to the production of a critical mass of sustainable palm oil products that will help tip the scale towards fully traceable, certified sustainable palm oil products that are economically viable for a great variety of buyers. Additionally, the credit market creates the opportunity for all producers (including independent smallholders) to earn premiums for their sustainability efforts, regardless of their location or size. This makes the credit market sustainable ánd inclusive.

Sellers

As a seller, you may find yourself in a position whereby you have completed the RSPO certification process (congratulations), but are yet to gain access to a certified buyer. In this case, you can sell your certified volume as credits. Regardless of your company’s size or location, you are always able to sell your credits online on the PalmTrace platform, as soon as you are registered and have certified volume available. This makes it easy to gain a premium for your sustainability efforts, that you can then re-invest in your company.
By selling certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil products through RSPO Credits, you are contributing to the possibility for buyers to offset their palm (kernel) oil usage. In the long term, these efforts will help to transform the palm oil and palm kernel oil market into a more social just and environmental sustainable place. The premium you receive for your sustainability efforts is a viable business opportunity. But it is also much more than that: the reward you deserve for contributing to this market transformation.

Different Credit Types

On the PalmTrace platform, a variety of credits are on offer to provide for every desired demand from buyers and production possibilities & facilities of sellers. The different types of credits are listed below.

CSPO

Certified Sustainable Palm Oil Credits. The most ‘traditional’ credit sold, this credit represents the oil derived from the fruit of the oil palm. Palm oil is used in a wide variety of products, such as cosmetics and consumer foods.

CSPKE

Certified Sustainable Palm Kernel Expeller Credits. CSPKE credits represents a by-product of the crushing and expelling of oil from palm kernels. The components of Palm Kernel Expeller are often used in compound feeds for livestock.

CSPKO

Certified Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil Credits. Credits representing the oil drawn from palm kernels, which is for example used in home and personal care products.

RSPO NEXT

RSPO NEXT Credits are certified sustainable palm product credits that have exceeded the RSPO Principles and Criteria. This has been accomplished by additional, voluntary action and policy from both producers and buyers on the themes of No Deforestation, No Fire, No Planting on Peat, Reduction of Green House Gasses, Respect for Human Rights and Transparency. Although these efforts are voluntary, they are strictly monitored by independent accredited certification bodies to make sure the RSPO NEXT claim is legitimate. To claim they participate in RSPO NEXT, producers and buyers have to adhere to specific criteria that can be found here.

All of the credits named above are also available as credits distinctively produced from fresh fruit bunches grown by independent smallholders. These credits can be distinguished by their IS – prefix. If you wish to buy credits from independent smallholders, look for IS – CSPO, IS – CSPKE, IS – CSPKO and IS – RSPO NEXT credits in PalmTrace.

IS – CSPO

Independent Smallholder - Certified Sustainable Palm Oil Credits are produced from fresh fruit bunches grown by independent smallholders.

IS – CSPKE

Independent Smallholder - Certified Sustainable Palm Kernel Expeller Credits are produced from fresh fruit bunches grown by independent smallholders.

IS – CSPKO

Independent Smallholder - Certified Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil Credits.

*Please note: These credits can be distinguished by their IS – prefix in PalmTrace.

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