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PALMOIL:
HOPE AT
LAST?
INSIGHT
PALM OIL
{40} may newconsumer.com
P
almoilisoneoftheworld’s
mosttradedcommodities.
More than 40 million tons
ofitisproducedacrossthe
planet every year. Tasteless and
sometimes colourless, it is found
in one out of every 10 of our
supermarket products, including
goods from Flora, Nestlé, Dove
andPersil.
A STANDARD FOR
SUSTAINABLE
PALM OIL LOOKS
TANTALISINGLY
CLOSE. BUT THE
BATTLE IS NOT
YET WON, FINDS
KEVIN STANLEY
CAN’T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE OIL
This is not rainforest – the greenery is palm oil
plantations surrounding a factory in Sumatra,
Indonesia. Deforestation accounts for approximately
one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
©GREENPEACE/OKA BUDHI
FordetailsonanOrangAidcomedynightinLondononMay12,visitwww.4apes.com
NEWCONSUMER.COM
newconsumer.com may {41}
Often unidentified, or labelled
‘vegetable oil’, this innocuous sub-
stanceisblamedforthelossofmil-
lions of hectares of rainforest, the
near extinction of the orangutan
and land-right conflict. But it
provides a livelihood for genera-
tionsofworkersinitsmainproduc-
tion countries, Indonesia and Ma-
laysia.Palmoilrepresents,perhaps,
the ultimate dilemma for switched
onconsumers.AndcomeJuly,some
big producers would have us be-
lieve,thatdilemmawillbesolved.
Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
(CSPO) is set to hit the production
line this summer. The result of a
two-year trial run by the Round
PRODUCTION LINE
A worker continuously toils in the sun to dig
holes for plants at a palm oil plantation in Borneo.
©GREENPEACE/NATALIEBEHRING
Table for Sustainable Palm Oil
(RSPO),theideaisthatyouwillsoon
be able to buy products made with
certified, guilt-free oil. But this ‘so-
lution’maynotbesocutanddried.
Palmoilplantationscoveralmost
12 million hectares of Malaysia and
Indonesia, a blanket agricultural
tacticthat’squicklypushingthere-
gion’snativespeciestowardsextinc-
tion.Illegalloggingandforestclear-
ing for such plantations has put
orangutansandotherspecies,such
as the Sumatran tiger, on the criti-
cally endangered list. The WWF re-
portsthatorangutans–seenasagri-
culturalpestsbyplantationworkers
– areoftenkilledormaimed.Under
these conditions, pressure group
ApeAlliancegivesthespeciesjust12
yearsuntilcompleteextinction.
With palm oil plantations, hu-
man rights abuse, worker exploita-
tion and violent conflicts over land
rights seem to follow. In fact, Indo-
nesian NGO Sawit Watch is moni-
toring513activeconflictsinvolving
local communities and palm oil
companiesinIndonesiaalone,states
Losing Ground, a report recently
releasedonthepalmoilindustryby
UK-basedcharityLifeMosaic.
And then there’s the global im-
pact of these vast plantations – the
forestsandpeatlandswithinthere-
gion are the world’s largest terres-
trialcarbonstores.
Deforestation,legalorillegal,re-
leases carbon into the atmosphere
and also reduces the forest’s capac-
ity to act as a carbon sink, both of
whichnegativelycontributetoglo-
bal climatechange.
The crop is a good one, however,
andit’savitalsourceofincomenot
just for the producing countries,
but for the many indigenous tribes
whoselandisnowgivenovertothe
product. It must be – the Indone-
sian government alone plans a
further development of 20 million
hectaresby2020.
WORKABLE OPTIONS
This is where the Roundtable on
SustainablePalmOil(RSPO)comes
in. Faced with the seemingly un-
stoppable growth in the palm oil
crop, the international, multi-
stakeholder,voluntaryorganisation
was set up in 2001 to promote the
developmentanduseofsustainable
palmoil.
Made up of palm oil producers,
distributors, processors and end-
users such as Unilever, The Body
Shop, Asda and Waitrose – as well
asNGOsincludingWWF–thebody
aimstocreatearealmarketforsus-
tainable oil. Some of those signed
up have already made steps
– The Body Shop now only
‘We’re not aiming
to end palm oil
production. We
recognise it is an
important source
offoreignearnings’
INSIGHT
PALM OIL
Orangutansshare97%ofthesameDNAashumans
NEWCONSUMER.COM
{42} may newconsumer.com
sources palm oil from sustainable
plantations in Columbia, and
Asda claims to be the first UK su-
permarket to reject products con-
tainingunsustainableoil.
In November 2005, the RSPO
kicked off a two-year trial to prove
the feasibility of certified palm oil.
With the trial now complete, for-
mal independent auditors are cur-
rentlybeingtrainedandappointed
to assess any plantation that seeks
theCSPOmark,andthefirstbatch-
es of CSPO are expected to be avail-
able by July, with quantities be-
tween 100,000 to 500,000 tons
beingproducedthroughout2008.
“We are not aiming to end palm
oilproductionortoboycottit,”says
Adam Harrison, a WWF palm oil
expert. “We recognise that it is an
important source of foreign earn-
ings for producer regions and that
it is not appropriate to seek to re-
movethoseopportunities.
“Major global industries will not
easilymovetoalternativessoweare
aimingtoensurethatallpalmoilis
producedtotheRSPOstandard.”
But that tonnage won’t immedi-
ately be in our supermarkets.
Onceplantationsarecer-
tified, the RSPO says
that there are two
workable options
for delivering
CSPO to the Eu-
ropean market.
Firstly, by ensur-
ing that palm oil
is fully segregated and traceable.
This is a very expensive option, but
practical because products could
then carry the CSPO stamp, and
consumers would know what they
weregetting.
Secondly, by setting up a ‘book
and claim’ system – dubbed Green-
Palm–wherecompaniescanclaim
that its products support the pro-
duction of CSPO. They would
buynon-sustainablycer-
tified palm oil from
the normal supply
chainbut,forevery
ton, they would
alsobuyacertifi-
cate stating that
they helped en-
c o u r a g e t h e
growthofCSPOby
rewardingtheplan-
tationdirectly.
But despite the fact
the RSPO claims that no
other organisation has made as
much progress with a certification
scheme involving tropical edible
oils,itsprogressindeliveringCSPO
to market has been painfully slow.
Atleasttwomillionhectaresofnew
plantations have been developed
sincetheRSPOprocessbegan.
SLOWPROGRESS
“We’re not quite there yet,” admits
TonyLass,ethicalsourcingadviser
at Cadbury Schweppes, a member
oftheRSPO.“TheRSPOhasworked
very hard, not always necessarily
successfully, to get CSPO to the
marketassoonaspossible.
“We want supply that is not just
available in niche quantity but for
the mainstream market. Current
tradersinpalmoilneedtobeableto
trade in sustainable palm oil. It’s a
newproductandweneednewcon-
tractstoreflectthat.”
So can consumers play a part in
helping to bring CSPO to the mar-
ket any faster? Jan Kees Vis, who is
thesustainableagriculturedirector
offoodsatUnilever,andchairofthe
RSPO,doesn’tthinkso.“Everybody
in the sector is fully aware of what
RSPO is trying to do,” he says.
“Right now, it is all down to audit
capacity and building up volume. I
donotthinkweneedbigconsumer
campaigns. The volume of CSPO
FORMOREINFORMATION
WWW.LIFEMOSAIC.NET
WWW.RSPO.ORG
willnotgrowfasterasaresult.”
Butthereareotherproblemswith
the RSPO. It stands to benefit large
companies – although it has a
smallholdingworkinggroup,there
isstillnoclearwayforsmallholders
to gain accreditation. And as a vol-
untary organisation, it has no real
teeth – demonstrated by its failure
to enforce a moratorium of all for-
est degradation for palm oil upon
itsmembers.
“To date, the RSPO has failed to
tackle the palm oil industry’s ex-
pansion into rainforest and peat-
landsandtheresultinggreenhouse
gas emissions,” says a Greenpeace
spokesman. “Key members of the
RSPO remain actively involved in
forest destruction some four years
aftertheschemewasestablished.
“Atthistime,theRSPOisjustbe-
ingusedasagreenfig-leafbysome
companieswhowanttoexploitthe
rainforestsfortheirowngain.”
INFORMEDCHOICE
Noonecoulddenythattheultimate
aimoftheRSPO–tobuildamarket
for certified sustainable palm oil –
isacrucialone.Butfornowthecon-
sumerisleftlittlethewiser.Andfor
those at the other end of the chain,
the information is muddy – many
small palm oil farmers are being
givenfalseinformationaboutwhat
benefits they will receive and what
impact plantations will have on
them.
Until those thousands of tons of
RSPO-certifiedpalmoilgetintoour
supermarket trolley, there’s still a
battle to be fought by us, the con-
sumers.Weneedtoletretailersand
manufacturers know that we want
informationonpalmoiltobemore
readilyavailable,aswellasdemand-
ing that they source sustainably
produced palm oil. We can also
lobby the EU for mandatory envi-
ronmentalandsocialstandards.
Demanding an informed choice
is not always easy. But, when we’re
so close to achieving a sustainable
product, it’s more important now
thanever.*
80%
oforangutans’
naturalhabitathas
disappearedinthe
past20years
FOTOLIA/KITCHBAIN

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palm oil

  • 1. PALMOIL: HOPE AT LAST? INSIGHT PALM OIL {40} may newconsumer.com P almoilisoneoftheworld’s mosttradedcommodities. More than 40 million tons ofitisproducedacrossthe planet every year. Tasteless and sometimes colourless, it is found in one out of every 10 of our supermarket products, including goods from Flora, Nestlé, Dove andPersil. A STANDARD FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL LOOKS TANTALISINGLY CLOSE. BUT THE BATTLE IS NOT YET WON, FINDS KEVIN STANLEY CAN’T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE OIL This is not rainforest – the greenery is palm oil plantations surrounding a factory in Sumatra, Indonesia. Deforestation accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. ©GREENPEACE/OKA BUDHI
  • 2. FordetailsonanOrangAidcomedynightinLondononMay12,visitwww.4apes.com NEWCONSUMER.COM newconsumer.com may {41} Often unidentified, or labelled ‘vegetable oil’, this innocuous sub- stanceisblamedforthelossofmil- lions of hectares of rainforest, the near extinction of the orangutan and land-right conflict. But it provides a livelihood for genera- tionsofworkersinitsmainproduc- tion countries, Indonesia and Ma- laysia.Palmoilrepresents,perhaps, the ultimate dilemma for switched onconsumers.AndcomeJuly,some big producers would have us be- lieve,thatdilemmawillbesolved. Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) is set to hit the production line this summer. The result of a two-year trial run by the Round PRODUCTION LINE A worker continuously toils in the sun to dig holes for plants at a palm oil plantation in Borneo. ©GREENPEACE/NATALIEBEHRING Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO),theideaisthatyouwillsoon be able to buy products made with certified, guilt-free oil. But this ‘so- lution’maynotbesocutanddried. Palmoilplantationscoveralmost 12 million hectares of Malaysia and Indonesia, a blanket agricultural tacticthat’squicklypushingthere- gion’snativespeciestowardsextinc- tion.Illegalloggingandforestclear- ing for such plantations has put orangutansandotherspecies,such as the Sumatran tiger, on the criti- cally endangered list. The WWF re- portsthatorangutans–seenasagri- culturalpestsbyplantationworkers – areoftenkilledormaimed.Under these conditions, pressure group ApeAlliancegivesthespeciesjust12 yearsuntilcompleteextinction. With palm oil plantations, hu- man rights abuse, worker exploita- tion and violent conflicts over land rights seem to follow. In fact, Indo- nesian NGO Sawit Watch is moni- toring513activeconflictsinvolving local communities and palm oil companiesinIndonesiaalone,states Losing Ground, a report recently releasedonthepalmoilindustryby UK-basedcharityLifeMosaic. And then there’s the global im- pact of these vast plantations – the forestsandpeatlandswithinthere- gion are the world’s largest terres- trialcarbonstores. Deforestation,legalorillegal,re- leases carbon into the atmosphere and also reduces the forest’s capac- ity to act as a carbon sink, both of whichnegativelycontributetoglo- bal climatechange. The crop is a good one, however, andit’savitalsourceofincomenot just for the producing countries, but for the many indigenous tribes whoselandisnowgivenovertothe product. It must be – the Indone- sian government alone plans a further development of 20 million hectaresby2020. WORKABLE OPTIONS This is where the Roundtable on SustainablePalmOil(RSPO)comes in. Faced with the seemingly un- stoppable growth in the palm oil crop, the international, multi- stakeholder,voluntaryorganisation was set up in 2001 to promote the developmentanduseofsustainable palmoil. Made up of palm oil producers, distributors, processors and end- users such as Unilever, The Body Shop, Asda and Waitrose – as well asNGOsincludingWWF–thebody aimstocreatearealmarketforsus- tainable oil. Some of those signed up have already made steps – The Body Shop now only ‘We’re not aiming to end palm oil production. We recognise it is an important source offoreignearnings’
  • 3. INSIGHT PALM OIL Orangutansshare97%ofthesameDNAashumans NEWCONSUMER.COM {42} may newconsumer.com sources palm oil from sustainable plantations in Columbia, and Asda claims to be the first UK su- permarket to reject products con- tainingunsustainableoil. In November 2005, the RSPO kicked off a two-year trial to prove the feasibility of certified palm oil. With the trial now complete, for- mal independent auditors are cur- rentlybeingtrainedandappointed to assess any plantation that seeks theCSPOmark,andthefirstbatch- es of CSPO are expected to be avail- able by July, with quantities be- tween 100,000 to 500,000 tons beingproducedthroughout2008. “We are not aiming to end palm oilproductionortoboycottit,”says Adam Harrison, a WWF palm oil expert. “We recognise that it is an important source of foreign earn- ings for producer regions and that it is not appropriate to seek to re- movethoseopportunities. “Major global industries will not easilymovetoalternativessoweare aimingtoensurethatallpalmoilis producedtotheRSPOstandard.” But that tonnage won’t immedi- ately be in our supermarkets. Onceplantationsarecer- tified, the RSPO says that there are two workable options for delivering CSPO to the Eu- ropean market. Firstly, by ensur- ing that palm oil is fully segregated and traceable. This is a very expensive option, but practical because products could then carry the CSPO stamp, and consumers would know what they weregetting. Secondly, by setting up a ‘book and claim’ system – dubbed Green- Palm–wherecompaniescanclaim that its products support the pro- duction of CSPO. They would buynon-sustainablycer- tified palm oil from the normal supply chainbut,forevery ton, they would alsobuyacertifi- cate stating that they helped en- c o u r a g e t h e growthofCSPOby rewardingtheplan- tationdirectly. But despite the fact the RSPO claims that no other organisation has made as much progress with a certification scheme involving tropical edible oils,itsprogressindeliveringCSPO to market has been painfully slow. Atleasttwomillionhectaresofnew plantations have been developed sincetheRSPOprocessbegan. SLOWPROGRESS “We’re not quite there yet,” admits TonyLass,ethicalsourcingadviser at Cadbury Schweppes, a member oftheRSPO.“TheRSPOhasworked very hard, not always necessarily successfully, to get CSPO to the marketassoonaspossible. “We want supply that is not just available in niche quantity but for the mainstream market. Current tradersinpalmoilneedtobeableto trade in sustainable palm oil. It’s a newproductandweneednewcon- tractstoreflectthat.” So can consumers play a part in helping to bring CSPO to the mar- ket any faster? Jan Kees Vis, who is thesustainableagriculturedirector offoodsatUnilever,andchairofthe RSPO,doesn’tthinkso.“Everybody in the sector is fully aware of what RSPO is trying to do,” he says. “Right now, it is all down to audit capacity and building up volume. I donotthinkweneedbigconsumer campaigns. The volume of CSPO FORMOREINFORMATION WWW.LIFEMOSAIC.NET WWW.RSPO.ORG willnotgrowfasterasaresult.” Butthereareotherproblemswith the RSPO. It stands to benefit large companies – although it has a smallholdingworkinggroup,there isstillnoclearwayforsmallholders to gain accreditation. And as a vol- untary organisation, it has no real teeth – demonstrated by its failure to enforce a moratorium of all for- est degradation for palm oil upon itsmembers. “To date, the RSPO has failed to tackle the palm oil industry’s ex- pansion into rainforest and peat- landsandtheresultinggreenhouse gas emissions,” says a Greenpeace spokesman. “Key members of the RSPO remain actively involved in forest destruction some four years aftertheschemewasestablished. “Atthistime,theRSPOisjustbe- ingusedasagreenfig-leafbysome companieswhowanttoexploitthe rainforestsfortheirowngain.” INFORMEDCHOICE Noonecoulddenythattheultimate aimoftheRSPO–tobuildamarket for certified sustainable palm oil – isacrucialone.Butfornowthecon- sumerisleftlittlethewiser.Andfor those at the other end of the chain, the information is muddy – many small palm oil farmers are being givenfalseinformationaboutwhat benefits they will receive and what impact plantations will have on them. Until those thousands of tons of RSPO-certifiedpalmoilgetintoour supermarket trolley, there’s still a battle to be fought by us, the con- sumers.Weneedtoletretailersand manufacturers know that we want informationonpalmoiltobemore readilyavailable,aswellasdemand- ing that they source sustainably produced palm oil. We can also lobby the EU for mandatory envi- ronmentalandsocialstandards. Demanding an informed choice is not always easy. But, when we’re so close to achieving a sustainable product, it’s more important now thanever.* 80% oforangutans’ naturalhabitathas disappearedinthe past20years FOTOLIA/KITCHBAIN