The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will publish maps of all its members’ palm oil plantations – with the exception of Malaysia – in the hope closer monitoring will prevent forest fires and peat land destruction. But is this enough?
UK government:‘There is no one definition of sustainable palm oil’
Voluntary measures and government targets are great – but it is legislation that will push European palm oil users to true sustainability. The food sector could learn a lesson or two from biofuel here.
Indonesia’s forests are being ravaged by forest and peatland fires that are sparking a public health and environmental crisis – but how responsible is the palm oil industry?
Companies are increasingly demanding certified palm oil using criteria that are stricter than current RSPO standards – does the mean the RSPO certification is in danger of becoming irrelevant?
Scientists have identified a genetic defect in oil palms, called bad karma, which reduces yields – a finding that could save industry both time and money, they say.
The Norwegian national investment fund has cut ties with four major Asian companies, citing the risk of ‘severe environmental damage’ as a result of palm oil plantations.
Italian politicians have submitted two resolutions to parliament defending palm oil in the face of anti-palm oil campaigns, calling it a raw material of fundamental importance for Italian industry.
A sustainable logo is known to add value to a brand – so why are so many manufacturers not showing their Fairtrade, organic or sustainable credentials?
A growing global population won’t only affect protein demand – sustainable fat production is also a major challenge, says food traceability expert Dr Heiner Lehr.
French ecology minister Ségolène Royal has apologised for urging a Nutella boycott over its palm oil content after learning that parent brand Ferrero uses sustainably sourced palm oil.
A European push toward segregated certified sustainable palm oil may inadvertently exclude smaller producers from the supply chain, says GreenPalm manager Bob Norman.
Mondelez International is on track to meet its goal of sourcing 100% traceable palm oil by the end of the year after reaching 70% traceability in 2014, says global director of sustainability Jonathan Horrell.
Reaching the goal of 100% Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) in Europe by 2020 is a big challenge with significant barriers, says RSPO, but one that is ultimately achievable with company and national commitments.
Cargill is on track to make its goal of completely sustainable palm oil supply by 2020, the company has said in its second palm oil progress update, summing up the efforts made so far by the US-headquartered agriculture major.
A joint venture between palm oil giant Wilmar International and the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is set to be taken to court as Ugandan farmers seek damages for land they say was grabbed in 2011.
Allied Bakers, the maker of Kingsmill bread, said today that the palm oil and derivatives used in its products are now 100% sustainably sourced through physical supply chains.
The Malaysian government has launched its own sustainable palm oil certification standard – but will this add to or detract from sustainability and transparency efforts in the sector?
The Malaysian government says it is assessing what action it should take to address ‘no palm oil’ labels in France and Belgium, the legal grounds for which have come under scrutiny.
Fears that manufacturers would reject palm oil in the wake of FIC regulations have proven to be unfounded, according to the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA).
Palm oil is subject to several consumer concerns – its sustainability and health impacts in particular – but these need to be addressed together rather than separately, according to the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA).
More than 50,000 people have signed an Italian petition to limit the use of palm oil in processed foods, organised by food news and campaigning organisation Il Fatto Alimentare.
Food manufacturers and palm oil producers could have a legal case against companies labelling products ‘palm oil free’, according to Paris-based lawyer Anne Bourdu.
Changes to European labelling laws meaning the specific source of vegetable oil must be declared on pack could drive more food manufacturers to certified sustainable palm oil, according to one grower.
The palm oil sector makes a clear contribution to the economies of producer countries – but it also contributes to the economy in importing markets, according to a new report.
Agribusiness giant Bunge is the latest multinational company to commit to deforestation-free palm oil supply – going beyond the requirements for RSPO membership.
RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil now accounts for 18% of the total global palm oil market, up from 15% last year, according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Dispatches from Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Montpellier
Certified Sustainable Palm Oil could remain a niche product unless it gains importance in India and China, according to former RSPO director Jan Kees Vis.
By Gary Paoli, director of research and project development at Daemeter Consulting
Having completed a review of RSPO, Gary Paoli of Daemeter Consulting outlines how the sustainable palm oil certifier has fared in addressing key market demands.
Dispatches from Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Montpellier
Demand for the sustainable oil is rising faster than supply for the first time as total sales of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) reach more than 2.4 million metric tonnes (MT).
Mondelēz is challenging palm oil suppliers to step up their game so it can move towards using physical supplies of purely sustainable palm oil for all its products.
In order to achieve a sustainable palm oil industry and tackle the deforestation issue worldwide, actions must be taken quickly and the consumer demand will follow, says Dr Alan Knight OBE.
Food businesses and consumers don’t understand the impact emerging economies could face if pressure to source 100% sustainable palm oil builds too quickly, Marks & Spencer’s (M&S) sustainable development manager Fiona Wheatley claims.
Sustainable palm oil trader GreenPalm will use this year’s European Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Summit as a platform to urge key players in the EU palm oil industry to galvanise shared knowledge and promote sustainable sourcing.
Norwegian consumer goods giant Orkla, which also owns Indian brand MTR Foods, has committed to using palm oil from sustainable sources in a move which Greenpeace says should coax other food majors to do similar.
Mars has committed to ending deforestation associated with its palm oil supply by the end of 2015, becoming the latest multinational to do so, alongside Unilever and Nestlé, among others.
Most of the world’s palm oil is set to be sustainably sourced, after Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) became the latest major supplier to commit to forest conservation last week, says Catapult, an organisation working to end deforestation-linked commodities...
While the debate about deforestation due to palm oil rumbles on, new research has suggested that the release of methane from palm oil processing wastewater may also be a significant concern.
Palm oil supplier IOI Loders Croklaan surpassed its goal to increase volumes of certified sustainable palm oil to 30% of total European sales last year – and has certified all its plantations to Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards.
