RSPO - Certification for sustainable palm oil
What makes palm oil special?
Palm oil is the highest-yielding vegetable oil in the world and can be used in a variety of ways. Oil palms produce an average of 3.25 tonnes per hectare (t/ha), making them the leader in vegetable oil production. The natural properties of the oil fruit make foods heat-stable and the fat serves as a carrier of flavours and vitamins.
Why should palm oil be RSPO-certified?
In addition to its use as cooking oil, palm oil is contained in many other products. If palm oil cultivation is not carried out sustainably, this has far-reaching negative consequences for people, the environment and wildlife. The non-profit organisation ‘Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’ (RSPO) was therefore founded in 2004 on the initiative of the WWF.
What is the RSPO?
The members of the non-profit organisation RSPO are stakeholders along the entire supply chain, such as oil producers, processors and NGOs. Currently, 4,038 companies have been certified according to the RSPO standard.
‘At the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), we have a simple goal: a sustainable palm oil industry.’
(Source: https://rspo.org)
This goal is the basis for the certification system RSPO Supply Chain Certification Standard (RSPO SCC Standard) and RSPO Principles and Criteria (RSPO P&C). RSPO supply chain certification thus guarantees that environmental and human rights objectives, such as combating deforestation of valuable rainforests and fair treatment of communities and workers, are met.
- Traceability of the RSPO palm oil back to the individual, concrete plantation
- physical separation of IP certified oil palm products from non-certified oil palm products throughout the supply chain
- Traceability of sustainable palm oil to several certified plantations
- Mixing of IP and SG possible
- Physical separation of sustainable and conventional palm oil
- Controlled blending of certified and non-certified palm oil
- Based on quantity account
- The processed quantity of RSPO-certified palm oil must correspond to the purchased quantity of certified palm oil
Manufacturers and retailers can buy credits from RSPO-certified growers to encourage the production of sustainable oil palm products
Why is sustainable palm oil RSPO certified?
In recent years, palm oil has become the most important vegetable oil on earth. Almost every second product in the supermarket contains this natural raw material. On the other hand, palm oil, like no other vegetable product, is repeatedly criticized. In order to meet global demand, tropical rainforest areas are cleared, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia - with considerable consequences.
With an RSPO certification for sustainable palm oil, you can show that even more is being done for nature conservation and human rights on the plantations than is required by law. With consumers becoming increasingly aware of the sustainability of products, your company will also benefit from RSPO certification in corporate communications.
You would like to have your company certified according to RSPO?
We will be happy to provide you with an individual offer or answer any questions you may have. As a subsidiary of the AFNOR Group, we offer our services worldwide.