RSPO Sustainable Palm Oil

Most stakeholders (NGOs, the food retailers/supply chain and consumers) are in general agreement that alongside cattle production and soybean cultivation, palm oil production is one of the main commodities driving global deforestation. 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. RSPO members contribute to a large part of the palm oil that is produced and sold worldwide.  

Palm oil sustainability

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.The supply chain, from tropics to the end consumer is complex. 

As the need to prove the sustainability of palm oil becomes more important, manufacturers and retailers want to ensure that the claims they make on their products will stand up to scrutiny adhering to the RSPO principles and criteria. Transparency and credibility are assured through RSPO supply chain certification.

RSPO certified sustainable palm oil 

Supply chain certification is the unbroken path which products take from source to consumer, including all stages of refining, manufacture, processing, transportation and distribution. As such it ensures that your product comes from where you say it comes from.

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

RSPO supply chain models

There are three supply chain models that can be used within the RSPO 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.

Who needs RSPO certification?

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.

The benefits of RSPO sustainable palm oil certification from leading certification body BM TRADA

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

• Demonstrate your commitment to environmental/agricultural practices and responsible sourcing
• Protects your business and safeguards your reputation
• Improves 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
• Helps your organization gain access to new markets.