Driven by increasing global demand, areas being cultivated for palm oil production have increased by over 40% since the 1990s. However, forests with a high conservation value and rich biodiversity have been burnt down (contributing to the problem of forest fires in the 1990s) to make way for new plantations. The expansion of oil palm plantations has also led to social conflicts between the local communities and project proponents.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formally established in April 2004 after three years of development work initiated by WWF. Its purpose is "to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through co-operation within the supply chain and open dialogue with its stakeholders".
RSPO is a multistakeholder forum including growers, processors, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, banks and investors. There are 223 ordinary members and 86 affiliate members. Executive Board members include Unilever, WWF, CIS, HSBC and Oxfam. (Data as at 30th May 2008.)
Following an initial pilot implementation period of two years, the Roundtable adopted Principles and Criteria for sustainable palm oil production in November 2007. Projects have also been set up to address specific issues, such as how to credibly verify that plantations have met the Principles and Criteria, a mechanism for tracing palm oil from the plantation to the market, ensuring that smallholder producers are not excluded from this initiative.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil shows HOW companies, NGOs and others can collaborate to improve the use and management of the earth's resources.
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