Who Watches the Watchmen?

A report exposing critical failures in an international system seeking to assure consumers that the palm oil they buy in many thousands of products is sustainable.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an industry body formed in 2004 with a mission to reassure consumers that palm oil bearing its certificate of approval is free from links with primary forest destruction, damage to endangered species’ habitats or abuses of the rights of indigenous peoples and communities.

However, Who Watches the Watchmen? reveals major flaws in the system of scrutiny which underpins the RSPO’s guarantee of sustainable production.