Adoption of the RSPO Principles and Criteria and Independent Smallholder Standard for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil and Palm Oil Products 2024
The proposed “Resolution GA21-2b: Adoption of the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard 2024”, will be tabled for adoption at the upcoming 21st RSPO General Assembly scheduled for 13 November 2024. This resolution proposes that RSPO Members adopt the 2024 RSPO Standards, which have been revised to enhance clarity, auditability and implementability. The revisions also address market and regulatory relevance and aim to improve alignment in content, structure and processes, ensuring stronger compliance and certification.
You may access the final drafts below:
Standards Revision Multi-Stakeholder Consultation
From 5 July to 20 August 2024, physical and virtual Stakeholder Consultations were carried out in various regions over Revision 1.0 of the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard in order to receive feedback and comments on the changes proposed.
Following the closure of the Stakeholder Consultation period, the RSPO Secretariat performed an analysis of the feedback and comments received, per the Decision Paper approved by the Standards Standing Committee (SSC) on 1 August 2024. The analysis identified, distilled and categorised the feedback received from stakeholders into three categories: general consensus, divided consensus and no consensus.
The Secretariat has incorporated the feedback and comments received where there is general consensus into Revision 2.0, which will be published for Public Comments from 2 to 15 September 2024.
Simultaneously, the Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Task Force has been formed, to focus on the feedback and comments categorised as divided consensus or no consensus over the Criteria and Indicators in Revision 2.0v. This Multi-Stakeholder Consultation is critical to finalising the drafting of the revised P&C and ISH Standard.
The Call for Expression of Interest for the Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Task Force was announced on 20 August 2024.
In addition to the formation of the Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Task Force, a targeted online discussion between Growers and social NGOs will be held from 2 – 6 September 2024 in order to address concerns related to the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in Principle 4 of the P&C. Free, Prior and Informed Consent is a key principle in the RSPO Standards and this discussion aims to bring forth consensus on the way forward to ensure that Principle 4 is implementable and auditable.
Comments Received and Responses: RSPO Principles and Criteria and RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard
Revision 1.0 of the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard 2024 went through a 45-day Stakeholder Consultation period from 5 July to 20 August 2024. Revision 2.0 of the P&C and ISH Standard 2024 went through a Public Comment period from 2 to 15 September 2024.
You may access and view all comments, feedback and suggestions received through both rounds of consultation below. We have also provided a summary of how these comments, feedback and suggestions were considered and assessed for incorporation in the final draft of the 2024 RSPO Standards, and where they have not been, RSPO has provided reasoning and rationale.
- Revision 1.0 comments:
RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard
Responses towards the comments
- Revision 2.0 comments:
RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard
Responses towards the comments
Public Comments: Revised RSPO Principles and Criteria and RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard
Revision 2.0 of the latest RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard is ready for public comments, which will be carried out over a fourteen (14) day period from 2 to 15 September 2024 using a global online commenting platform.
Click here to access the commenting platform.
You can download the drafts below:
Stakeholder Consultation: Revised RSPO Principles and Criteria and RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard and RSPO Certification Systems
In compliance with the directions set by the Steering Group dated 6 September 2023 and thereafter endorsed by the RSPO Standards Standing Committee and approved by the RSPO Board of Governors, the RSPO Secretariat has been proactive in implementing the technical revision of the RSPO Standards, based on the third draft produced during the fourth Task Force Meeting.
Various activities have been undertaken to implement the directions of the Steering Group, namely seeking clarity, relevance, implementability, and auditability of Draft #3, together with the parallel revision of the associated Certification Systems documents, and development of supplementary guidance documents. The development of these documents will also be coordinated alongside the development of the new RSPO certification, trade and traceability system – prisma – to ensure that the digital system is fully aligned with the revised standards and certification requirements. Proposals have been made to address outstanding substantive issues associated with the third draft, including the scope and supporting processes underpinning implementation of the standards. During this process, several key issues or gaps were identified, with changes made to the structure of the criteria and indicators as well as addressing market and regulatory topics of relevance.
The redrafted RSPO P&C and ISH Standard as proposed by the RSPO Secretariat, along with the initial draft of RSPO Certification Systems, are now ready for Stakeholder Consultation.
The RSPO Secretariat will be holding in-person workshops and online webinars in various cities around the world and across multiple time zones to share details about the main changes between the current Standards (P&C and ISH), Certification Systems and the proposed drafts.
Please feel free to register your interest in any of the in-person consultation workshops and online webinars listed below. Participation is strictly for confirmed registered participants.
| Date | Venue or Location | Language | RSPO Contact | Registration Link |
| 10 & 11 July 2024 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Bahasa Indonesia | Dede Herland | REGISTER HERE |
| 15 & 16 July 2024 | Surat Thani, Thailand | Thai | Radda Larpnun | REGISTER HERE |
| 16 & 17 July 2024 | Bogota, Colombia | Spanish | Diego Pierrend | REGISTER HERE |
| 23 July 2024 | Guatemala City, Guatemala | Spanish | Diego Pierrend | REGISTER HERE |
| 31 July & 1 August 2024 | Accra, Ghana | English | Victor Tamanjong | REGISTER HERE |
| 5 & 6 August 2024 | Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire | French | Victor Tamanjong | REGISTER HERE |
| 12 & 13 August 2024 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | English | Lydia Tan | REGISTER HERE |
Online Webinar (1 hour)
| Date | Time | Language | Registration Link |
| 9 July 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT+8/MYT) | English, Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Japanese | REGISTER HERE |
| 9 July 2024 | 3:00 PM (GMT+2/CET) | English | REGISTER HERE |
| 12 July 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT+2/CET) | English, French, Spanish | REGISTER HERE |
| 19 July 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT+7/WIB) | English, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Japanese | REGISTER HERE |
| 22 July 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT+5.30/IST) | English, Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia | REGISTER HERE |
| 30 July 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT+7/WIB) | English, Bahasa Indonesia | REGISTER HERE |
| 5 August 2024 | 10:00 AM (GMT-5/COT) | English, French, Spanish | REGISTER HERE |
Procedural Grievances
Any grievances or issues with the procedures are under the purview of the Steering Group. Any grievances and issues may be directed to [email protected]
Update on the Progress of the 2023 Standards Review
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has completed its comprehensive and highly consultative review of its current 2018 RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C), 2019 RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard and associated system documents, and will commence a technical revision process to produce revised standards in 2024.
The Board has entrusted the technical revisions to be undertaken by the Secretariat in close consultation with all stakeholders under the continued guidance of the Review Steering Group and the Standards Standing Committee. The Board has full confidence that the Secretariat will deliver a credible, relevant and impactful standard and certification system which will, amongst others, ensure the organisation’s continued relevance in the face of shifting regulatory and market expectations. The Secretariat has been directed to produce the revised set of standards and associated certification system by no later than the deadline for submission to the 21st General Assembly in 2024.
In February 2022, the RSPO, led by the P&C Review Task Force with the support of the Technical Committees and external facilitators, commenced its five-year review cycle of its standards. A major focus of the review was on improving the audibility and implementability of the RSPO Standards in all growers categories. Additionally, the process aimed to make recommendations on which elements of the revised P&C should be applied to non-grower RSPO Members as part of their Shared Responsibility to promote sustainable palm oil.
The RSPO Standards review identified several areas for potential improvement that required technical analysis and consultations beyond the scope of the Task Force to ensure the development of relevant and effective standards that are implementable and auditable.
The Steering Group has proposed the following actions, which were endorsed by the Standards Steering Committee and approved by the Board:
- The Secretariat will finalise the review and commence the revision of the certification system documents for the P&C and ISH Standard in parallel with the revision of the standards, as well as develop any guidance documents required to supplement the standards.
- The Secretariat will revise the associated normative guidances and Certification System Document for the P&C and ISH Standard in line with the requirements for clarity, relevance, implementability and auditability as soon as possible, but not later than the deadline for submission to the General Assembly meeting in 2024.
- The development of the revised standards and certification system documents will coordinate with the development of the new RSPO certification, trade and traceability system (CTTS) to ensure that the digital system is fully aligned with the revised standards and certification requirements.
The RSPO Standards review process is in compliance with the global association for sustainability standards, the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance, which recommends that a standard must be reviewed at least every five years for continued relevance and effectiveness in meeting its stated objectives. If the review concludes that changes to the standard are required, then a standards revision is carried out according to the process outlined in the ISEAL Impacts and Standard-Setting Code.
Standards Review Overview
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is initiating its five year review cycle of the 2018 RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and the review of the 2019 RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard. The development of standard requirements applicable to medium growers and Scheme Smallholders will also be explored.
Apart from reviewing the standard applicable to the production of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) and Certified Fresh Fruit Bunch (CFFB), this process also aims to make recommendations on which elements of the revised P&C should be applied to non-grower RSPO members as part of their Shared Responsibility to promote sustainable palm oil.
The objective of this process is to review and streamline the production standard to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness in demonstrating that palm oil produced and sold as RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) is credible and inclusive.
To strengthen the credibility of the RSPO certification scheme, this review process strives to address the following key challenges:
- Ensuring the comprehensiveness and relevance of RSPO Standards;
- Achieving desired impact;
- Clarifying interpretations and uncertainties;
- Resolving inadequate capacities and resources in the assurance systems; and
- Aligning RSPO approaches with other sustainability initiatives.
Comments Received: Revised RSPO Principles and Criteria and RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard
The draft of the revised RSPO Principles & Criteria (P&C) and RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard has gone through two rounds of public consultation which was carried out during 1 November to 31 December 2022, and 1 to 30 June 2023 respectively.
You can download the comments received for both rounds of Public Consultation below:
- First round of Public Consultation comments:
RSPO Principles and Criteria (1st round)
RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard (1st round) - Second round of Public Consultation comments:
RSPO Principles and Criteria (2nd round)
RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard (2nd round)
Standard Review Task Force (TF) Meeting Dates
Where to learn more about the Standards Review
The review process will be guided by the RSPO Standard Operating Procedure for Standard Setting and Review (2020), in line with ISEAL Alliance’s requirements and the ISEAL Standard-setting Code of Good Practices V6.
Please review the Terms of Reference (ToR) & Review Process for complete details endorsed by the RSPO Board of Governors on 14 February 2022.
Governance Structure
Governance Structure Members
The RSPO Standard Standing Committee (SSC) will provide oversight on the entire process, wherein a Steering Group, consisting of the CEO of the RSPO Secretariat and the Co-Chairs of the RSPO Standards, Assurance, Market Development and Smallholder Standing Committee will ensure a coordinated, comprehensive and joint approach to the review, and will make decisions in the event that consensus cannot be achieved at the TF level.
