Palm oil dominates the worldwide oil market. It is used in food, energy, industrial uses, and of course, personal care. Yet its impact on deforestation and biodiversity have rightfully raised concerns – primary forest in Indonesia, the main producer of palm oil, is rapidly being eroded.
The rapid and unplanned culture of oil palm has deeply affected the biodiversity of Southeast Asia. As demand for palm oil has grown, deforestation and endangerment of local animal species has become a growing problem.
To combat these environmental concerns, the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was created in 2004 with a goal of making sustainable cultivation of palm oil, respectful of people and the environment, the norm instead of the exception. RSPO certified sustainable palm oil has been produced to stringent environmental and social criteria.
1 – Book & Claim – Certified palm producers register output with GreenPalm and are granted certificates for each ton of sustainable palm oil produced. Manufacturers bid for those certificates, thereby supporting the production of sustainable palm oil.
2 – Mass Balance (MB) – Allows for a mixture of sustainable and conventional palm oil. Overall volumes of each are carefully monitored
3 – Segregated SG – Allows for certified palm oil to come from a number of producers, but guarantees that the entire quantity of palm oil is sustainably produced.
4 – Identity Preserved – Requires that the supply be directly traceable. All steps in the supply chain are documented, creating a paper trail that can be followed back all the way from end-users to one specific palm grower.
Learn more about the pillars of RSPO and levels of certification here or at www.rspo.org.