Consumer demands for sustainability in palm oil have shifted markedly in the past year towards concern  over deforestation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and certification schemes are often criticized as  weak on these issues. Our recent review shows that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the  world’s leading certification system, has criteria in place to address these issues, with potential to mitigate  impacts significantly if implementing procedures can be strengthened.

Colleagues and I at Daemeter Consulting surveyed 268 articles published in the past year in eight leading  online media, and found that public attention is directed primarily towards forest-related impacts of  plantations. Social issues, including Indigenous People and human rights, are also highlighted, alongside  certification processes and traceability. We then researched how the RSPO addresses the six most widely  covered social and environmental impacts of palm oil and scored the approach against criteria derived  from the Principles for Credible Certification defined by ISEAL, the alliance for sustainability standards.

Deforestation tops the list as the most widely covered issue, mentioned in more than half of all articles.  RSPO’s measures to address deforestation include bans on converting primary forests, any customary  forests without consent of local communities, and any secondary (logged) forest required to maintain one  or more High Conservation Value (HCV) together with any area that is legally protected. We highlight,  however, that inconsistencies in how HCV is applied – a cornerstone of RSPO’s approach to limit  deforestation – compromise effectiveness and merit attention.

RSPO’s approach to addressing GHG emissions is broad-based and lays groundwork for future emission  reductions and transparent reporting. However, it scored variably across criteria, with potential for  inconsistent application, lack of agreed upon emissions cut-offs, and a need to accelerate transparency  and widen participation. On mitigation of biodiversity impacts, RSPO scored well against most criteria, but  the need for strengthening HCV was again highlighted, together with combining HCV and emerging High Carbon Stock (HCS) mapping as a combined tool.

On social issues, traditionally a major concern surrounding oil palm development, RSPO scored moderate  to high for provisions to safeguard indigenous people, respect for human rights, and promote benefit  sharing with local stakeholders. Still, attention was drawn to the need for strengthening implementation

and broader multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure compliance across widely dispersed, culturally diverse  geographies.

One crosscutting finding applicable to all impacts reviewed is that few empirical data are available on the  success of RSPO’s approach on the ground. This shows an urgent need for research to quantify how  adherence to RSPO standards reduces impacts beyond that of other approaches, such as legal  compliance, and disseminate these findings to the general public.

Consensus as a strength and a weakness 

RSPO’s multi-stakeholder, consensus-based approach are hallmarks that have allowed it to become the  most widely adopted palm oil certification scheme, but the approach also limits how “high” performance  standards can be set while still maintaining consensus. As such, RSPO, like all consensus-based systems,  delivers incremental progress rather than dramatic change, which can create gaps between the demands  of progressive stakeholders and standards required by RSPO.

Such gaps have led some to question the role of certification in transforming industry. Certification is  sometimes criticized for promoting mitigation rather than elimination of impacts as a transitional way  forward. While clearly there is room and need for improvement of standards, certification schemes, such  as RSPO, play a key role in ensuring implementation of uniform, comparable standards of practice across  diverse geographies and actors in the industry.

Transformation will take time, and steps to accelerate this are needed, but change that’s supported by a  broad stakeholder base carries the advantage that once new requirements are introduced, they define the  “new norm” and members will implement them.

Actions to improve RSPO’s effectiveness 

Based on our research, we recommend the RSPO and supporters consider the following concrete actions  to strengthen systems for mitigating impacts on key issues:

Tighten Requirements for GHG Emissions Reductions. RSPO does not set emission standards, but  requires members to measure and minimize net GHG from operations through eliminating burning and  avoiding extensive planting on peat and HCS areas. RSPO also encourages members to develop emission  reduction plans and implement best management practices, as well as to report annual emissions to RSPO  for the present, and after 2016 to the public. These steps lay the groundwork for future emission reductions,  but effectiveness of the approach will likely be questioned until agreed-upon emission thresholds are in  place.

Improve Biodiversity and Carbon Stock Assessment. Credible HCV assessment is the cornerstone of  RSPO’s approach to limiting deforestation to areas of low biodiversity and low carbon, but the quality of  HCV assessment has been highly variable. Quality control of these assessments should be improved and  integration with High Carbon Stock (HCS) assessment should be pursued. RSPO is currently working with  the HCV Resource Network to strengthen HCV through independent systems for licensing of assessors,  quality monitoring and improved transparency.

Document Certification Effectiveness and Impact. To provide a baseline measure of RSPO impacts to  date, RSPO could commission independent study of its impacts in certified plantations. Such a study  would highlight where improvements are needed, and provide a basis for ongoing monitoring of  effectiveness over time.

Download Leading Demands for Sustainability in the Marketplace and RSPO’s Response here or read it  online here.

This opinion piece was published in the foodnavigator.com under the title How has RSPO responded to  deforestation from palm oil plantations? on 23 September 2014. Read it here. Photo is courtesy of the  RSPO.