Unilever, Nestle and Kraft and other major brands have made commitments to no longer source from palm oil producers that have been associated with deforestation. After the broadcast of the BBC1 docu- mentary show “Panorama”, Unilever committed to not source from one of Indonesia’s major palm oil producers, DutaPalma. Broadcast on February 22, “Dying For a Biscuit” documented a BBC reporter uncovering evidence of palm oil companies illegally clearing protected rainforest in Borneo to make way for plantations producing palm oil. As a consequence, Unilever, which the “Panorama“ broadcast linked to DutaPalma, announced that it would no longer purchase palm oil from the company. This is the second time that Unilever has severed ties with a supplier alleged to be engaged in rainforest de- struction. Some months ago, Unilever halted its con- tract with another Indonesia company, PT Smart, after publication of a Greenpeace report. Unilever cancelled its $30 million contract with the company at the end of 2009, while Kraft cancelled its contract with Smart in early 2010. Sainsbury’s and Shell have also stated that they will not buy palm oil from Sinar Mas (the parent company of PT Smart), according to Greenpeace. In addition, Nestle is the subject of a new campaign by Greenpeace that alleges it purchases palm oil from PT Smart (see “Caught Red Handed” in the Publications section). Nestle responded by posting a statement to its website asserting its commitment to sustainable palm oil and reporting that it severed ties with the palm oil supplier: “We have accelerated the investigation of our palm oil supply chain to identify any palm oil source which does not meet our high standards for sustainability. (…) Specifically, Nestlé has replaced the Indonesian company Sinar Mas (the parent company of PT Smart) as a supplier of palm oil with another supplier for further shipments.“ Cargill has stated that it will de-list Sinar Mas from its supply chain in April if “the RSPO validates the allegations of improper land conversion or illegal planting in deep peat land as alleged in the Greenpeace report and Sinar Mas does not take corrective action.“ Both Duta Palma and PT Smart are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Unilever is the world’s biggest user of palm oil and a founding member of the RSPO. Nestle is the largest food and beverage company in the world, and recently joined the multi-stakeholder initiative. Major global brands distance themselves from palm oil suppliers associated with deforestation WWF Forest Conversion News # 25 • April 2010 1 Palm oil plantation. Tesso Nilo, Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Copyright: WWF-Germany/M.Radday WWF’s newsletter on forest conversion focusing on the expansion of palm oil and soy # 25 Forest Conversion News FCN
Transcript
Unilever, Nestle and Kraft and other major brands have made commitments to no longer source from palm oil producers that have been associated with deforestation. After the broadcast of the BBC1 docu-mentary show “Panorama”, Unilever committed to not source from one of Indonesia’s major palm oil producers, DutaPalma. Broadcast on February 22, “Dying For a Biscuit” documented a BBC reporter uncovering evidence of palm oil companies illegally clearing protected rainforest in Borneo to make way for plantations producing palm oil.
As a consequence, Unilever, which the “Panorama“ broadcast linked to DutaPalma, announced that it would no longer purchase palm oil from the company. This is the second time that Unilever has severed ties with a supplier alleged to be engaged in rainforest de-struction. Some months ago, Unilever halted its con-tract with another Indonesia company, PT Smart, after publication of a Greenpeace report. Unilever cancelled its $30 million contract with the company at the end of 2009, while Kraft cancelled its contract with Smart in early 2010. Sainsbury’s and Shell have also stated that they will not buy palm oil from Sinar Mas (the parent company of PT Smart), according to Greenpeace.
In addition, Nestle is the subject of a new campaign by Greenpeace that alleges it purchases palm oil from PT Smart (see “Caught Red Handed” in the Publications section). Nestle responded by posting a statement to its website asserting its commitment to sustainable palm oil and reporting that it severed ties with the palm oil supplier: “We have accelerated the investigation of our palm oil supply chain to identify any palm oil source which does not meet our high standards for sustainability. (…) Specifi cally, Nestlé has replaced the Indonesian company Sinar Mas (the parent company of PT Smart) as a supplier of palm oil with another supplier for further shipments.“
Cargill has stated that it will de-list Sinar Mas from its supply chain in April if “the RSPO validates the allegations of improper land conversion or illegal planting in deep peat land as alleged in the Greenpeace report and Sinar Mas does not take corrective action.“
Both Duta Palma and PT Smart are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Unilever is the world’s biggest user of palm oil and a founding member of the RSPO. Nestle is the largest food and beverage company in the world, and recently joined the multi-stakeholder initiative.
Major global brands distance themselves from palm oil suppliers associated with deforestation
WWF’s newsletter on forest conversion focusing on the expansion of palm oil and soy # 25F o r e s t C o n v e r s i o n N e w sFCN
WWF Forest Conversion News # 25 • April 20102
On February 4, PT Smart sent a letter to its partners reaffi rming its commitment to the RSPO and its guidelines. The company stated it would not convert areas of high carbon stock, develop on peatland or
primary forest, or convert high conservation value areas (HCVAs).
The RSPO posted a press release to its website which responds to the public elegations of non sustainable practices by its member companies.
Links: RSPO Press Release, Panorama fi lm, Reuters (February 17), The Vancouver Sun (March 18), The Independent ( February 22), Reuters (February 23), mongabay.com (February 24), Nestle’s Statement, Letter to partners by PT Smart, Cargill Statement on Sinar Mas
Transmigration settlements alongside the logging road leading from the forest to the pulp mills. Oil palm plantation in the background. Sumatra, Indonesia. Copyright: Mark Edwards / WWF-Canon
WWF interviews Greenpeace’s Joko Arif about its work on stopping deforestation associated with palm oil.
Q: What does Greenpeace see as the solution to the problem of ongoing deforestation in Southeast Asia?
A: In the short term Greenpeace is campaigning for a moratorium on further deforestation for commodities such as palm oil, whilst longer term political solutions are delivered which would include fi nance from the international community to support protection of important forest and peatland areas. In Indonesia the government has already committed to greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets which will require fundamental change in practice by the palm oil and other industries, to stop the emissions caused through destruction of forests and peatlands. A moratorium would provide the space for the implementation of longer term measures for protection, supported by international donors. It would also drive invest-ment and other policies towards both yield improvements on existing plantation areas, particularly those owned by smallholders as well as the development of plantations on fully degraded land.
Q: What actions has Greepeace taken on palm oil and what has it achieved?
A: Greenpeace has released a series of reports looking at the role of the palm oil industry in driving deforestation, linking companies using palm oil in their products through to producers who are a) feeling to implement their existing sustainability commitments and b) who are fi ghting against any further im-provements in sustainability standards. We have also campaigned against consumer companies who do not demand high enough standards from their supply chain. Most recently we have been pressing major consumers of palm oil to stop trade with Sinar Mas, the group behind RSPO member PT Smart, which
also own the notorious Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). This company has been ignoring existing RSPO standards and clearing forests and peatlands in breach of Indonesian law. In December 2009 Unilever suspended contracts with Sinar Mas for palm oil, and we are pressing other companies to follow suit. Sinar Mas group is probably the single driver of deforestation in Indonesia. Until they agree to imple-ment a moratorium on further forest conversion for commodities such as palm oil, their products should be shunned by the international market.
Q: It’s no secret that Greenpeace has been critical of the RSPO. Can you please explain the point of view of Greenpeace toward the RSPO?
A: The RSPO has two major problems: • Its standards were developed at a time when the contribu-tion of deforestation to global greenhouse gas emissions was not front and centre on the political or environmental agenda. Those current standards are not strong enough to stop the de-struction of forests and peatlands which are of high carbon value, yet major palm oil producers are fi ghting against any change to those standards.
• Its existing standards are routinely ignored by a number of major producers, including Sinar Mas, fur-ther undermining the credibility of the organisation and those companies who do recognise the impor-tance of sustainability in the palm oil sector.
Palm oil producers, traders and consuming companies say that the RSPO is the only game in town and must be made to work. If these two critical issues are not resolved, urgently, then the RSPO will end up as a dead end. Its credibility is already badly damaged by the heel dragging over the greenhouse gas is-sue, which is now leading to a situation where companies wanting to buy sustainable palm oil will have to voluntarily agree standards above existing RSPO principles and criteria.
Q: As you have personally participated in RSPO roundtables in the past, do you feel that you can make a positive difference in the RSPO through engaging with it and its members?
A: Greenpeace clearly has to engage with companies who are members of RSPO and will continue to do that, but that is different from continued engagement with the organisation and its processes. Our role is to press hard for the changes that I mention above, which will not be achieved through consensus building alone, but rather through more progressive players insisting on improvements, and using their economic infl uence to that end - both through supporting producers prepared to leave more forests and peatlands off limits to conversion, and through penalising those producers who are not committed to sustainability.
Q: Which parts of the oil palm industry have the most responsibility for ensuring that palm oil is not driving deforestation - is it the buyers, traders, growers or others?
A: The international market place must play a critical role in solving this problem, through companies demanding that their suppliers are not engaged in continued deforestation for commodities like palm oil. We have seen time and again that these companies, through wielding their economic infl uence, can change practice of producers. The best example of this is probably in relation to the soya moratorium
“Changes will not be achieved through consensus building
alone, but rather through more progressive players insisting
on improvements.”
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WWF Forest Conversion News # 25 • April 20104
in the Amazon, delivered as a result of pressure from McDonalds and progressive retailers insisting on changing in practice by their suppliers. But responsibility lies throughout the supply chain. For example, it is completely unacceptable that Cargill certifi es its own plantations, covering just a fraction of its palm oil business, whilst trading oil from producers who are continuing to ignore existing sustainability stan-dards, and, in some cases, Indonesian law.
Joko Arif is Forests Campaigner at Greenpeace South East Asia (Indonesia offi ce).
N e w sAustralia Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard
On April 1, WWF Australia published the Australia Palm Oil Buyers’ Score-card 2010. The aim of the Scorecard is to assess the palm oil purchasing practices of six major companies present in the Australian Food sector that produce or sell everyday consumer products. Three international brands active in Australia, Unilever, Cadbury and and Nestle,
and three iconic Australian brands, Goodman Fielder, Coles and Woolworths, are included in the assessment. One of the objectives of the Scorecard is to encourage Australian companies using palm oil to commit to purchasing certifi ed sustainable palm oil (CSPO). Since the anounce-ment of the publication of the Scorecard, two of the Australian brands, Goodman Fielder and Woolworths, announced commitments to pur-chase only certifi ed sustainable palm oil (CSPO) to cover their private label products by 2015.
Link: Scorecard, Goodman Fielder commitment, related article: Woolworth’s action plan on palm oil
CSPO sales match supply in January 2010Processors and retailers purchased about 98 per cent of the 120,000 metric tons of certifi ed sus-tainable palm oil (CSPO) produced in January. This is the fi rst time since CSPO became available
in November 2008 that sales of certifi ed sustain-able palm oil have nearly met production. This suggests that, despite a slow start, demand for cer-tifi ed palm oil is fi nally picking up.
The majority of certifi ed sustainable palm oil is currently transacted via online certifi cates (Book & Claim) that match palm oil batches produced by RSPO certifi ed plantations. The company can take delivery of physical palm oil from any source. However more sustainably produced palm oil itself, kept ‘segregated’ throughout the supply chain, is becoming available for purchase.
Several companies have recently made new com-mitments to CSPO, including Tesco, AAK, Gener-al Mills and Thorntons (see related articles in the Media Review).
Links: mongabay.com (February 5, 2010), Sourcing commitments via UTZ Certifi ed, Current market fi gures
RSPO New Plantings procedure launched on January 1, 2010Stemming from a resolution that was tabled by WWF at the RSPO General Assembly after RT6, the RSPO mandated a Working Group to explore a new requirement for RSPO member produc-ers regarding new plantings. The Working Group completed its assignment in 2009, and the new requirement was approved by the RSPO Execu-tive Board at the RT7 conference. The proce-dure, which went into effect on January 1, 2010, requires RSPO member plantation companies to register new plantings in advance, obtain third-party verifi cation that the plantings are in compli-ance with RSPO criteria and for their plans to be posted at least 30 days before clearing begins. The procedures are detailed in the two downloadable attachments, the RSPO High Level Flow Chart for New Plantings Procedures and the RSPO Detailed Process Flow for New Plantings Procedures.
Link: RSPO New Plantings Working Group
RSPO Greenhouse Gas Working Group 2 sets agenda for 2010At RT7, a new Working Group was mandated to take forward the greenhouse gas issue for the RSPO. The fi rst meeting of the 2nd RSPO Green-house Gas Working Group took place on February 9 and 10, 2010 in Singapore. The meeting resulted in an agreement to set up two panels, a Scientifi c Panel to address issues related to data and method-ologies to document and monitor GHG emissions related to land-use and land-use change, and a Pol-icy Panel that will advise the RSPO on the legal, fi nancial and regulatory constraints and opportu-nities that currently limit the adoption of measures
that would reduce GHG emissions stemming from land-use and land-use change. The Working Group is currently evaluating candidates to participate in these panels. In addition, it will develop recom-mendations on how to reduce emissions from the entire oil palm life cycle, liaise with the RSPO’s Working Group on peat, and ask all RSPO mem-bers to demonstrate how they are reducing their own emissions. The GHG Working Group 2 plans to have four meeting in 2010 leading up to a pre-sentation of its conclusions at RT8.
Link: RSPO Greenhouse Gas Working Group 2
RTRS commits to pursuing compliance with the EU REDIn December 2009, the RTRS Working Group on EU RED (Renewable Energy Directive) took place in Amsterdam. The goal was to organize alignment with the EU RED through voluntary scheme recognition. Its composition refl ects the RTRS multi-stakeholder approach and members include, among others, Cargill, Shell, the Dutch NGO Solidaridad, as well as two Argentinian pro-ducers, Grupo Lucci and El Tejar.
Link: EU RED Working Group
F o r e s t C o n v e r s i o n N e w sFCN
Soy plantation, Paraná, Brazil. Copyright: Michael Gunther / WWF-Canon
New and improved RSPO and RTRS websitesBoth the RSPO and the RTRS have recently re-launched their websites. Both sites are more us-er-friendly and present news, statistics and back-ground documents in a more accessible format. In addition, the RSPO has produced a series of short videos about the RSPO, its mission and its chal-lenges.
Website links: www.rspo.org, www.responsiblesoy.orgRSPO videos: Intro to RSPO, On biodiversity, On traceability, On smallholders, On fi nance
New documentary fi lm highlights plight of orangutan“Green” is a visually stunning documentary about the conversion of rainforest in Indonesia for palm oil, tropical wood, and paper, told through the eyes of one of the palm oil industry’s victims - a dying orangutan. Directed by the French fi lm-maker Patrick Rouxel, the fi lm has won a number of awards.
Link: The documentary
Update from the Roundtable on Sustainable BiofuelsThe Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) has made concrete progress toward the develop-
ment of a sustainability standard for biofuels. RSB Version One has been released and pilot tests of the principles and criteria in various real world settings have been launched. In addition, the RSB has developed and launched a Greenhouse Gas accounting methodology for the most important biofuel pathways. The RSB has also established several new expert groups to examine critical is-sues such as indirect impacts and greenhouse gas accounting. The results of these processes will form the basis for a Version Two of the RSB Stan-dard. Stakeholders will be involved in preparing this new version through public consultations, chamber discussions and Board decisions. It is expected that biofuel certifi ed to RSB standards will be available in 2010.
Download: The latest RSB Newsletter
POTICO: Connecting sustainable palm with avoided deforestation The World Resources Institute (WRI)’s project POTICO (Palm Oil, Timber and Carbon Offsets) connects the expansion of sustainable palm oil onto degraded land with avoided deforestation. To achieve this goal, WRI is implementing pilot POTICO land use swaps and conducting a suite of activities designed to enable replication of the concept on a larger scale.
Under a pilot POTICO land swap, WRI is work-ing with a producer company that wishes to be-come RSPO-certifi ed but already has a concession to plant oil palm on land with high conservation value forest. The company has committed to de-velop a locally appropriate management plan to maintain the forest, and will instead establish the planned plantation on a similarly sized area of de-graded land in accordance with the RSPO’s prin-ciples and criteria.
Too green to be trueThis report alleges that the Malaysian owned com-pany, the IOI Group, has not lived up to its envi-ronmental promises in newly established planta-tions in the Ketapang district – the Indonesian part of Borneo.
Download: The report
Caught red handedThis report by Greenpeace alleges that Nestlé’s use of palm oil is destroying rainforests through its connection to the Sinar Mas group, a large Indonesian palm oil producer accused of defores-tation.
Download: The report
Responsible purchasing of palm oil: a step-wise approachWWF has recently published a document to help companies source sustainably produced palm oil using a step-wise approach.
Download: The report
Most sustainable biofuel crops identifi edThis paper by the University of Wageningen and published in the journal Biomass and Bioenergy presents the results of testing nine energy crops against nine sustainability criteria.
Link: The paper
Wash and spin cycle threats to tropical biodiversity This article, published in the journal Biotropica, states that NGOs should maintain credibility by avoiding exaggerated claims and do a better job of working together with companies. Using the palm oil issue as a case, the authors challenge the credibility of infl ated claims made by both the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and more radical NGOs.
Link: The article, related article: The Ecologist (January 1, 2010)
F o r e s t C o n v e r s i o n N e w sFCNP u b l i c a t i o n s
Seminar on responsible soy April, 8 Helsinki, FinlandThis seminar targeted to the feed sector will provide a platform for discussing the opportuni-ties and challenges in sourcing responsible soy . WWF Finland will present a new report on nega-tive social and environmental impacts of soy pro-duction and introduce steps to overcome them.
RSPO seminar for French companiesApril 7, 2010, Paris (France)This seminar targets current and potential mem-ber companies of the RSPO and will feature pre-sentations by Carrefour, IOI Group, Unilever and WWF France
Market Opportunities for Sustainable Biomass and Biofuels ProducersApril 20, 2010, Jakarta (Indonesia)Sponsored by ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certifi cation), this event focuses on market opportunities for sustainable Biomass and biofuels producers and will provide guidance on how to fulfi l market requirements through certi-fi cation.
Link: More information
Future of Food: An exploration of the global food systemApril 28, 2010, London (UK)Focusing on the retail, fi nance and investment communities, this seminar will explore the re-sponsibilities of these sectors to contribute to a sustainable food system.
Link: More information
Fifth Roundtable Conference on Responsible SoyJune 9-10, 2010, Sao Paulo (Brazil)Members of the Round Table on Responsible (RTRS) as well as other interested stakeholders will meet for the RTRS annual conference, to be followed by the RTRS General Assembly.
Link: More information
Public Ledger’s 2010 Edible Oils ConferenceJune 22-24, 2010, AmsterdamThis conference about edible oils will include a sustainability workshop, organized in cooperation with the RSPO. It will explore the most prominent issues surrounding sustainable palm and the fu-ture of the market.
Link: More information
3rd Conference on Sustainable AgricultureMay 11-12, 2010, Brussels (Belgium) This conference is organized by The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the Sus-tainable Food Lab, the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA), and IDH (Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative). It will ex-plore a wide range of issues, such as climate, de-mography, urbanization, poverty, water stress, soil depletion, working conditions or biodiversity.
Link: More information
F o r e s t C o n v e r s i o n N e w sFCNU p c o m i n g e v e n t s
Unilever: No plans to cut palm oil supply ties with IOIReuters UK, March 29, 2010Consumer goods giant Unilever said it would not cancel palm oil supply contracts with Malaysia’s IOI and that it was confi dent the planter would address concerns over logging forests raised by a green group.
Link: The article
French retailer Casino to ban use of palm oilReuters, March 25 2010French retailer Casino said it would stop using palm oil in its branded food products in a bid to improve their nutritional quality and due to wor-ries about the environment impact of palm tree cultivation.
Link: The article
Neste Oil wants key palm supplier to probe forest claim Reuters, March 24, 2010Finnish refi ner Neste Oil wants a major palm oil supplier for its biofuel plants to investigate accusations the Malaysian fi rm illegally cleared forests on the island of Borneo.
Link: The article
Malaysia practices sustainable ways in producing palm oil, says DompokBernama, March 22, 2010Malaysia practices good agriculture and sustain-able ways to produce palm oil in the country, said Minister of Plantation Industries and Com-modities Tan Sri Bernard Dompok. He explained
although many NGOs attacked Malaysia on the issue of environment, sustainability, deforestation and wildlife conservation, the Malaysian gov-ernment was very committed in managing and tackling the issues.
Link: The article
Draft of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil almost completedBisnis Indonesia, March 22, 2010 Draft of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) which shall serve as guideline for palm oil pro-ducers to carry out their business activity related to production of this premium commodity, is now in its fi nal stage, as this regulation is going to be issued at the latest by May 2010.
Link: No link
Joint plan to fi le case against EU palm oil directiveBusiness Times, March 8, 2010Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s leading palm oil producers, and other palm oil producing coun-tries may group together and fi le a case to the WTO against the EU for introducing new laws skewed against the commodity.
Link: The article
Indonesia and Malaysia team up against palm oil criticsJakarta Globe, March 7, 2010Indonesia and Malaysian palm oil producers have agreed to jointly tackle challenging environmen-tal and labor issues which threaten to hinder the development of the industry in both countries.
Link: The article
F o r e s t C o n v e r s i o n N e w sFCNM e d i a r e v i e w
Can palm oil help Indonesia’s poor? BBC Radio 4, March 1, 2010This article looks into the question whether local people benefi t from oil palm plantations.
Link: The article
Green fuels cause more harm than fossil fuels, according to reportThe Times, March 1, 2010 Using fossil fuel in vehicles is,5 better for the en-vironment than so-called green fuels made from crops such as palm oil, according to a government study seen by The Times.
Link: The article
Palm oil from the Mersey that will spare the jungleThe Sunday Times, February 28, 2010 A British company will open a refi nery in Liverpool that it says will provide a third of Britain’s annual palm oil consumption from sustainable sources. United Biscuits and Jordans, the cereal maker, have signed up to take palm oil from the refi nery.
Link: The article
Bambang Sumoto: Palm oil the environmental wayThe Jakarta Post, February 23, 2010The Indonesian Bambang Sumoto came up with a renewable technology to process palm oil more effi ciently. In collaboration with a local investor, Bambang will soon apply the renewable technol-ogy in a fi ve-hectare large palm oil plant currently under construction in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan.
Link: The article
Oil palm plantation not in forest sectorThe Jakarta Post, February 23, 2010The Indonesian Forestry Minister Zulkifl i Hasan
said he had no plan to draft a decree aimed at in-cluding oil palm plantations in the forestry sector.
Link: The article
Palm oil products and the weekly shop BBC Panorama, February 22, 2010The BBC’s “Panorama” programme asked the makers of the top selling products containing palm oil and the major supermarket chains in the UK about their palm oil use. They also requested in-formation on how they sourced their palm oil and whether or not they participate in the GreenPalm trading scheme, aimed at encouraging growers to produce more sustainable oil. All the completed questionnaires are now online.
Link: The article
REDD may not provide suffi cient incentive to developers over palm oilmongabay.com, February 22, 2010Payments for forest conservation under the pro-posed REDD mechanism are unlikely to provide a viable economic alternative to oil palm agricul-ture at current prices.
Link: The article
Palm estate is forest, says ministryThe Jakarta Post, February 16, 2010 The Forestry Ministry is drafting a decree to in-clude oil palm plantations in the forest sector to comply with international standards in mitigating climate change.
Link: The article
Big business leaves big forest footprints BBC, February 16, 2010Consumers around the globe are not aware that they are “eating” rainforests. This article explains how many every-day purchases are driving the destruction of the vital tropical ecosystems.
Indonesia may open more forests to palm oilThe Jakarta Globe, February 15, 2010As Indonesia looks for ways to meet its ambi-tious emissions-reduction targets, the Ministry of Forestry on Monday said it plans to issue a new regulation that would allow commercial forestry companies to plant crops such as palm oil in new concession areas.
Link: The article
Palm oil deal ‘a threat to the rainforest’The Independent, February 9, 2009The European Commission is planning to increase the amount of palm oil used in cars and power stations under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which is intended to reduce greenhouse gases. This comes despite scientifi c evidence showing that chopping down rainforests to make way for plantations exacerbates climate change.
Link: The article
Association says green activists step up negative campaigns The Jakarta Post, February 5, 2010Indonesia’s palm oil producers accused foreign anti-palm oil groups of continuing to launch cam-paigns against the country’s production of crude palm oil by using green issues aimed at hampering exports.
Link: The article
Europe weighs poposal to re-classify oil palm plantations as “forests”EU Observer, February 5, 2010The European Commission and some EU mem-ber states hope to redefi ne palm oil plantations as “forests,” according to a leaked document.
Link: The article
RSPO – The palm oil merry-go-roundEthical Corporation, February 3, 2010The RSPO needs to have a good year to convince doubters it is on the right track. In one sense, the RSPO is a success story as it brings NGOs and in-dustry together to tackle a serious environmental problem. But such initiatives are judged on results, and seven years on, campaigners say progress has been too slow.
Link: The article
AAK commits its Prep Oils to sustainable palm oil schemeCaterersearch.com, February 2, 2010To ensure caterers can fry their chips with a clear conscience, AAK’s Prep Oil brand has joined the GreenPalm certifi cation programme to ensure that its palm oil supports sustainable plantations.
Link: The article
An oily problemFood Manufacture, January 2010When it comes to sustainable palm oil, there is wide agreement on the ends, but fi erce debate over the means.
Link: The article
Campaign to save tropical forests failed by food giantsThe Independent, January 25, 2010Western food manufacturers are buying so little sustainable palm oil that the system set up to limit damage to tropical forests caused by the world’s cheapest vegetable oil is in danger of collapse. Palm-oil producers say the industry may quit the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) because so few fi rms are fi nancially backing the scheme.
Companies should act – not palm us off with token effortsThe Independent, January 25, 2010 WWF’s Adam Harrison states that it is clear that palm oil growers will increase the area of their plantations that are managed sustainably if they see what they have produced being sold. All su-permarkets and manufacturers need to stop talking and act. With the number of available options for buying sustainable palm oil it’s one of the easiest ways for brands to address a major environmental challenge.
Link: The article
Burton’s foods supports 100% GreenPalm certifi catesTalking Retail, January 25, 2010Burton’s Foods, the number two-branded player and second largest biscuit supplier in the UK, to-day announces it will become the fi rst sweet bis-cuit company to acquire GreenPalm certifi cates for 100% of its palm oil usage.
Link: The article
General mills commits to responsible sourcing of palm oilWebwire, January 21, 2010 General Mills said again today that it is committed to sourcing palm oil in a socially and environmen-tally responsible manner. General Mills has pub-licly expressed concern about the role of palm oil expansion in deforestation of tropical rainforests. The company has also voiced concern about the impact of deforestation on biodiversity and endan-gered species.
Link: The article
Food versus fuel?The Jakarta Globe, January 19, 2010 A certain degree of euphoria seems to have spread through the government about producing biofuel from palm oil. Government schemes are under way to double palm oil production by 2020, most-ly through an expansion of plantation areas.
Link: The article
Orangutans versus palm oil in Malaysia mongabay.com, January 16, 2010 The Malaysian palm oil industry has been broadly accused of contributing to the dramatic decline in orangutan populations in Sabah. The industry has staunchly denied these charges and responded with marketing campaigns claiming the opposite.
Link: The article
India becomes largest buyer of palm oilmongabay.com, January 14, 2010 India surpassed China as the world’s largest buyer of palm oil in 2009.
Link: The article
Trouble for palm oilAsia Sentinel, January 7, 2010The west grows more skeptical of the palm oil growers’ promises of environmental sustainability.
Link: The article
Thorntons’ pledge to help save rainforests Derby Telegraph, January 1, 2010UK chocolate-maker Thorntons has set itself a tar-get of sustainably sourcing palm oil, a key ingre-dient used in some of its products by 2012.
Time to speed sustainable palm oil supplyfoodanddrinkeurope.com, December 21, 209This editorial is asking buyers to speed up their commitments for sustainable palm oil, predicting that they will need to respond to consumers’ likely demand for more CSPO in 2010.
Link: The article
Time running out for orangutans: conservationistsAgence France Press, December 20, 2009The world has less than 20 years left to save the orangutan, according to conservationists who pre-dict the charismatic red ape will become extinct if no action is taken to protect its jungle habitat whcih is being dimished due to deforestation and the expansion of palm oil plantations.
Link: The article
Indonesia defends palm plantationsThe Jakarta Globe, December 17, 2009Indonesian delegates at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen promoted the coun-try’s palm oil industry as sustainable, in the wake of a recently published Greenpeace report accus-ing Indonesia’s largest palm oil producer of de-ception and illegal practices.
Link: The article
Nestlé and Kraft probe palm oil sources after sustainability claimsConfectionary News, December 16, 2009The globe’s two biggest food fi rms, Nestlé and
Kraft, have launched internal investigations after a Greenpeace report claimed both purchase palm oil from Indonesian company PT Smart whose parent group Sinar Mas allegedly engages in widespread illegal deforestation and peatland clearance in In-donesia.
Link: The article
Tesco clarifi es position on sustainable palm oilFood manufacture, December 14, 2009 Tesco has clarifi ed its position on sustainable palm oil following the introduction of a new code of practice to suppliers issued in the sum-mer. While Tesco has set a target of using only 100 per cent traceable, certifi ed sustainable palm oil in its own-label products by 2015, it is also encouraging suppliers to buy GreenPalm certifi -cates in the meantime to cover their use of palm oil or derivatives - until fully traceable sustainable derivatives become available. A spokeswoman said: “Tesco allows all the four RSPO approved supplier chains, including GreenPalm certifi cates. Suppliers should start using these four agreed sys-tems now.”
Link: The article
Palm oil production devastating Sumatran forestsCNN world, December 11, 2009Palm oil production is central to the economies of Indonesia and Malaysia but at the same contrib-utes largely to deforestation in Sumatra.
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