Today (8 April), the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RPSO) – the main voluntary certification scheme for palm oil – will be 20-years-old
Palm oil is cheap, versatile and used widely in countess thousands of products and in biofuels, but its production has been linked to human rights abuses, illegal logging and deforestation, causing considerable harm to indigenous peoples and the habitats of endangered orangutans
A highly critical independent review has highlighted significant failings by the watchdog set up to reassure consumers that everyday products with palm oil have been made without damaging the environment
A highly critical independent review has highlighted significant failings by the watchdog set up to reassure consumers that everyday products with palm oil have been made without damaging the environment
A fortnight ago we revealed how consumers are being conned about the sustainability of palm oil – and now the RSPO, the leading industry certification body which we criticised, has pledged to investigate
As the world approaches 2020 targets to halt deforestation, the RSPO needs to rapidly implement radical solutions to restore its credibility. We question whether the RSPO is willing and able to rectify its systemic failures – ultimately, voluntary certification is too limited by its voluntary nature.