RSPO Certification - Sustainable Palm Oil

Stakeholders – from manufacturers through to retailers and consumers – are becoming increasingly aware of issues surrounding ethical production of commodities. They want reassurance that products are produced in a sustainable manner, without causing harm to the environment or society. Palm oil is both one of the most in-demand, and debated products from a sustainability perspective, of recent times. RSPO certification from BM TRADA provides a credible way to help meet both demand for this product, and for assurances as to its supply chain sustainability.

Why do you need Supply Chain Certification for Palm Oil products?

Palm oil production has increased rapidly in recent years, along with concern over the sustainability of its cultivation and the impact of palm oil on local populations and eco-systems. Most stakeholders - NGOs, food retailers, supply chain and consumers - are in general agreement that palm oil production is one of the main commodities driving global deforestation (alongside cattle production and soybean cultivation). 

As the need to prove the sustainability of palm oil becomes more important, manufacturers and retailers want to ensure that the claims they make about their products will stand up to scrutiny.

Supply chain certification considers the unbroken path which products take from source to consumer, including all stages of refining, manufacture, processing, transportation and distribution. It ensures that your product comes from where you say it comes from. The supply chain for palm oil - from tropics to the end consumer - is particularly complex.

What is the RSPO?

To meet the growing concern around palm oil production, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established in 2004 to promote the production and use of sustainable palm oil for people, the planet and prosperity. The RSPO have produced set principles and criteria for sustainable palm oil production. Today, RSPO members contribute to a large part of the palm oil that is produced and sold worldwide. 

RSPO Certification for Palm Oil Products with BM TRADA 

The culmination of the RSPO’s principles and criteria for palm oil production is their supply chain certification scheme, which allows manufacturers and retailers of palm oil products to assure their transparency and credibility.

RSPO certification ensures that your palm oil product supply chain is secure and easily traceable, and provides credible evidence of your product’s sustainability.

Certification is available to all food and non-food products that use palm oil and palm oil derivatives. It provides evidence that the product originates from well-managed, certified sources and verifies that they are not mixed with products from non-certified sources, at any point in the supply chain, except under strict management controls within the Mass Balance system (see below).

RSPO supply chain models

There are three supply chain models that can be used within the RSPO certification system:

• Identity preserved – traceable back to the originating palm oil mill and its supply base
• Segregation – physical isolation from non-certified palm oil sources and allows mixing with other certified palm oil
• Mass Balance – allows mixing of certified and non-certified palm oil in a controlled environment, ensuring that the volume of certified palm outputs never exceed the certified inputs.

The benefits of RSPO certification from BM TRADA

 RSPO certification will bring significant benefits to your organization. It will:

• Demonstrate your commitment to environmental/agricultural practices and responsible sourcing
• Protect your business and safeguards your reputation
• Improve your operational efficiency, reducing costs and increasing profitability
• Meet the expectations of major manufacturers and retailers, many of whom have time-bound commitments to the use of sustainable palm oil in their products
• Help your organization gain access to new markets.