Sustainable palm oil only option
Published on: Friday, November 16, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Sustainable palm oil must be the bare minimum standard as the norm to positively disconnect errant producers and buyers from the world supply chain.Only then the unnecessary debate over sustainable palm oil be redundant especially when Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) members continue to advocate the benefits of choosing sustainably-produced palm oil to buyers and consumers.The review of the RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) 2013 and will be submitted for ratification by RSPO's 15th Annual General Assembly (GA15) on Thursday today November 15, 2018, promotes the key pillars of RSPO's Theory of Change (ToC): Prosperity, People, Planet.
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Based on the current draft, the P&C is expected to take shape as more of a "standards" document compared to previous versions which served as "guidance".It has called for stronger requirements to apply human rights standards to all RSPO membership categories.According to the CEO of RSPO, Datuk Darrel Webber, "As at June 30, 2018, plantations covering 3.2 million hectares across 16 countries are RSPO-certified."There are some 354 RSPO P&C certificate holders that represent an annual certified production volume of 13,619,000 tonnes of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) and 3,135,973 tonnes of Certified Sustainable Palm Kernel (CSPK).
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RSPO members are encouraged to speak up on the benefits and goodness of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) supply and how it is transforming lives and the ecology for a better world. They can be the solutions to the problems.The concept of "shared responsibility" is a new proposed element to the draft P&C, whereby all players or actors throughout the supply chain must work towards the target of increasing CSPO uptake.
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First adopted in 2005, the P&C defines what sustainable palm oil is. When properly applied, these criteria can help to minimise the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions.If the draft P&C endorsed and adopted by RSPO members at its 15th Annual General Assembly (GA15) on Thursday, the new standard will come into effect immediately. However, existing RSPO grower members will have a transition period of one year (maximum) from the date of endorsement, to implement the new standards to be known as RSPO P&C 2018.Total production area cultivated by RSPO members covers 2.4 million hectares.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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