Understanding and managing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is an issue of global importance and the palm oil industry is no exception. The RSPO GHG Working Group (GHGWG(, convened in 2009, initiated a process within the RSPO to document emissions linked to the sector, develop practical tools to monitor these emissions, and provide guidance on how to reduce emissions via a voluntary mechanism consistent with the existing RSPO P&C.

One of the key components of the GHGWG was a Scientific Panel, composed of distinguished scientists from Indonesia, Malaysia, North America and Europe, that conducted an independent analysis of the industry to characterize the historical GHG emissions linked to deforestation, land use and plantation management. This information, which was shared with RSPO members during the annual roundtable in Kota Kinabalu, and was presented on March 22 to the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Republic of Indonesia’s official response to a proposed EPA ruling that would exclude palm oil as a biofuel feedstock under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The EPA is required by law to seek public comment on proposed regulatory rulings and the Republic of Indonesia cited the RSPO-sponsored study when questioning the assumptions used by the EPA to estimate the GHG emissions. The final decision by the EPA on the RFS is ongoing and the comments made by the Republic of Indonesia may have an impact on the eventual ruling. More updates will be provided as they become available. More

INAUGURAL GIN SHOWS IMPRESSIVE CSPO UPTAKE IN 2011

The “RSPO CSPO Growth Interpretation Narrative” (GIN) – the first of its kind for any sustainable commodity – records and analyses RSPO and CSPO growth and trends on an annual basis. The 2011 report shows that from 2009 to 2011, supply of CSPO increased by 250% while sales volume grew by approximately 620%. The surge in supply can be attributed to the rising number of certified growers entering into RSPO’s certification process, which today includes 29 grower companies and 135 certified mills. Increased sales can also be attributed to expanding RSPO membership, with the consumer goods manufacturer category increasing by over 60%, the retailers category increasing by 50% (particularly in Europe) and the processors and traders category increasing by over 30%. The growth in supply and sales of CSPO clearly reflects a growing demand for sustainability standards towards palm oil. More

8^TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES WITH QUORUM ACHIEVED

On March 8th 2012, RSPO successfully concluded its 8th General Assembly (GA8). With 58% quorum, the GA8 had the highest-ever presence from members all over the world. This increased participation and the number of resolutions passed this year reflects the growing interest and commitment of RSPO members.

Members attending GA8 (including via proxies) passed 4 resolutions, which include:

1. The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers as the auditors for the financial year ending June 2012.

2. A new Vision Statement for the RSPO, which is “RSPO will transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm”. The members also resolved to accept new Mission Statements along with the new Vision Statement, which state that RSPO will: advance the production, procurement, finance and use of sustainable palm oil products; develop, implement, verify, assure and periodically review credible global standards for the entire supply chain of sustainable palm oil; monitor and evaluate the economic, environmental and social impacts of the uptake of sustainable palm oil in the market; engage and commit all stakeholders throughout the supply chain, including governments and consumers.

3. Amending the quorum required within the statutes whereby the General Assembly shall be validly constituted if a minimum of 80 of the Ordinary Members are present or represented.

4. Accepting that all RSPO ordinary members in the category of growers, traders/processors, consumer goods manufacturers and retailers be required to submit to the Secretariat a time-bound plan to produce, trade, process and/or purchase and use 100% CSPO prior to the 9th General Assembly. More

RSPO-RED SCHEME EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPLICATION

In order to enable RSPO members and biofuels producers and traders to comply with the European legislation for biofuels developed under the Renewable Energy Directive, RSPO has developed the RSPO-RED scheme. In February 2011, the RSPO-RED scheme was technically approved by the European Commission’s consultants. It is now going through the European Commission’s own review process, which is expected to take approximately 14 weeks. Formal recognition of the RSPO-RED scheme as a voluntary scheme is expected in Q2 of 2012.

Once approved, the RSPO-RED scheme will give biofuels producers and traders access to the European biofuels market for as it fully complies with EU legislation.

PHASE 1 - REVIEW OF RSPO GENERIC PRINCIPLES & CRITERIA

Following their creation in 2007, RSPO’s Principles & Criteria were to be reviewed every five years. While the Executive Board of the RSPO believes that these remain relevant and needed, reviewing these on a regular basis ensure that they can be made more effective. As such, the Generic P&C document must be reviewed by November 2012, and proposed changes to this will be voted by in the next General Assembly (GA9).

Phase 1 ran until the end of January 2012 and involved a pre-consultation review of the continuing relevance of the P&Cs. Stakeholders were asked to address the question, “What is the continuing relevance of the RSPO’s Generic Principle & Criteria to delivering sustainable palm oil?”, and were able to pose open, fundamental or cross-cutting questions about the P&Cs and make suggestions for how these could be made more relevant. This phase ended with the P&C Review steering group drawing together conclusions, lessons and suggestions from the process, and feeding these into Phase 2.

Running from February 2012, Phase 2 will focus on improving the effectiveness of the Generic P&Cs, with a more tightly-focused review process. This is being conducted largely by the P&C Review Task Force established with balanced representation of all RSPO members and drawing on external experts. Drawing on the results of Phase 1, the TF will look at the content of the Generic P&Cs and consider whether these need to be re-drafted. More

RSPO CHANGES TRADEMARK RULES

On November 30^th, the RSPO Executive Board adopted new “Rules on Communications & Claims,” which reformed the regulations of RSPO messages, particularly focusing on the display and use of the RSPO trademark. For example, in product-related communications, members are not allowed to use any other trademark or logo than the RSPO trademark in relation to the product content of RSPO-certified palm oil. The rules for combining supply chain systems were also greatly reformed. These new regulations outline the display rules for RSPO-certified sustainable palm products including Identity Preserved (IP), Segregated (SG), Mass Balance (MB) and Book & Claim (B&C).

Percentage RSPO certified	On product communication rules
IP + SG + MB + B&C > 95 %	On product communication allowed
IP + SG + MB > 95 %	On product communication allowed, use of RSPO trademark allowed
Only combination of IP and SG	RSPO TM + “Certified” allowed
Only Combination of IP, SG and MB	RSPO TM + “Mixed” allowed
B&C part of mix	Greenpalm communication rules
Note: in non-consumer facing communication, companies may state % of different supply chain systems used.

View the updated RSPO Rules on Market Communications & Claims in full

REGIONAL INITIATIVES

ESTABLISHMENT OF BELGIAN ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL

On January 20^th, the Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil was established, with members pledging to source only RSPO-certified palm oil by 2015. The Belgian charter was signed by various organisations involved in the palm oil supply chain, including FEVIA, Choprabisco, Cargill, Fuji Oil Europe, Unifa, FGBB and Belgapom. On February 3^rd, the Alliance launched its first working group to discuss the 2012 action plan in order to facilitate the switch to 100% CSPO by 2015. Participants included APIM, Vandemoortele, CSM Benelux, Belgapom, Choprabisco, FEVIA, FGBB, Unifa, Cargill, Fuji, WWF, MVO/ RSPO, and IMACE. More

SARAWAK MAKES SIGNIFICANT STRIDE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL

As the catalyst for oil palm growth in Malaysia, Sarawak’s increased commitment towards best practices in the cultivation of palm oil according to international standards set by the RSPO will be a significant step forward. Certification under RSPO’s standards began in 2008 and within just over 3 years, production of CSPO has reached an impressive mark of 11% of global crude palm oil. Malaysia leads the pack as the world’s largest CSPO producer at 48% amongst other producing nations. More

RSPO MEMBER MEET IN INDIA

On February 21^st, RSPO stakeholders met in New Delhi to discuss the critical role of India - the largest consumer and importer of palm oil in the world - in stopping deforestation and promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil. Although working globally to promote the use of sustainable palm oil, RSPO noticed a lack of awareness in India from key industry players such as NGOs and the media. For this reason, RSPO invited stakeholders such as WWF-India, Greenpeace, Godrej Industries, HUL and leading publications to discuss sustainable palm oil in India. The discussions found that rather than a lack of awareness, there is a limited view of business opportunity linked to the transition to sustainable palm oil. The discussions also showed that the first solution for Indian players is attaining GreenPalm certificates. Companies such as Unilever, Cargill, Godrej, Karmani Oil and Walmart agreed to increased commitment to sustainable palm oil, setting an example for other players in India. More

INDONESIAN ROUNDTABLE STRENGTHENS RSPO’S RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL MEDIA

On March 21^st, RSPO held a roundtable discussion in Jakarta with selected media outlets in order to reaffirm its relationship with local media. The discussion centred on RSPO’s latest milestones, including the GIN 2011 and the GA8 resolutions. In addition, the roundtable served as the opportunity to formally introduce Prof. Bungaran Saragih as RSPO’s Indonesian advisor. Media in attendance included Kontan, Bisnis Indonesia, Info Sawit, Tropis, Media Perkebunan, Agro Farm, Suara Pembaruan, Agrina, Investor Daily, and Indonesia Finance Today.

DUTCH TASK FORCE BLAZES THE TRAIL FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL

On March 27^th, the Dutch Task Force on Sustainable Palm oil presented its 2011 Annual Report to Henk Bleker, Dutch Minister of Agriculture and Foreign Trade. The report shows that 21% of all palm oil currently used in food products in the Netherlands is RSPO-certified. In addition, the report also highlights a significant increase in the number of Dutch organizations that have joined RSPO during the past year. These results reinforce the Dutch palm oil industry’s commitment to full sustainability by 2015. RSPO commends the Task Force for its own success and for inspiring other countries such as Belgian to develop similar initiatives, as this will help to further encourage market uptake of CSPO. More

LATIN AMERICAN ROUNDTABLE FOSTERS COMMITMENTS TO SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL

From March 27^th – 30^th, RSPO hosted the third Latin American Roundtable in Ecuador, where Latin American palm growers and interested stakeholders were able to respond to the pressing global demand for sustainably-produced palm oil. RSPO recently adopted the Sustainability Principles and Criteria for the production chain in order to elaborate the products based on sustainable palm oil. In order to drive this effort, commitment from industry and society is needed. Thus, the Roundtable served as a space to share comments and opinions from palm oil producers, consumers and related entities, as well as raise industry commitment to CSPO. During the sold-out event, stakeholders made commitments that will serve as the foundation for more sustainable palm oil growth in the region. More

PROFOREST TO SUPPORT RSPO AFRICA ROADSHOW

The Proforest Initiative is a charitable organization that supports better management of the world’s natural resources by focusing on practical solutions. In May and June 2012, RSPO and Proforest will host events in Liberia, Ghana, and Gabon to create better understanding of palm oil expansion in relation to its socio-economic, environmental and social effects. These events will also discuss the High Conservation Value (HCV) concept, which covers forest certification and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources. The Roadshow aims to significantly increase the level of understanding of the RSPO requirements particularly among key stakeholders such as government institutions, civil society and local private sectors. Click here for more information about the upcoming Proforest – RSPO Africa Roadshow

RSPO IN THE MEDIA – HIGHLIGHTS

CSR Europe: Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil publishes report on sustainable palm oil trends

VMT.NL: Recordtoename duurzame palmolie

Food Navigator-Asia: China and India targeted to close the supply-demand gap of certified sustainable palm oil

The Star: Attendance high at RSPO general assembly

Bisnis Indonesia: MINYAK SAWIT: Hindustan Unilever komitmen beli sawit bersertifikat RSPO

Compilation of all RSPO news announcements made in 2011: News Release Report 2011

EVENTS

RSPO’S TECHNICAL DIRECTOR SPEAKS AT WORLD BIOFUELS MARKET 2012

The World Biofuels Market (WBM) conference is the largest Congress and Exhibition in the biofuels industry, bringing together the entire value chain of the biofuels industry, 600 companies and over 1500 attendees. This year, the event took place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 13-15 March. Salahudin Yaacob, RSPO’s Technical Director, visited Europe in order to attend and deliver a presentation as part of the session dedicated to Sustainability, Certification & ILUC. Salahudin’s presence at the WBM was very well received and opportunities for future collaboration with the organisers are being explored. More

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RSPO UPDATES

UPDATE ON RSPO-SPONSORED FINDINGS ON RENEWABLE FUELS PRODUCED FROM PALM OIL FOR THE US-EPA