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Principles & Criteria for
Sustainable Palm Oil Production (P&C)
Read
more about the Criteria Project
(information, download documents/reports)
Download the
complete P&C Guidance:
Download the
endorsed P&C with preamble:
National Implementation and Interpretation of the
P&C
Looking beyond the completion of the
P&C is the need to ensure that its
implementation is not just up to expectations of
stakeholders, but congruent or compatible with the
norms, laws and values of countries, or sovereign
states. This crucial step not only allows for negating
potential conflicts between an international standard
and national laws, but also to allow for national level
stakeholder consultation. This would translate to
addressing key concerns at local or regional level,
giving specific points to unique situations and
complementing national laws with a higher benchmark
(where applicable) for industry to achieve.
Buy-in to such a process is critical, and it is expected
that once national interpretation processes begin,
RSPO members in countries where this
exercise will take place would lead them. The role of
RSPO’s
Executive Board in this leadership
role would be highly welcome. At present, a set of
guidelines for the requirements for a national
interpretation group process is being developed.
Read more about
progress on National Interpretation of the
P&C in:
Download
minutes of the 2-year P&C trials kick-off meeting held on 25
April
2006 
[246 KB]
RSPO Indonesia Liaison
Office Established
RT4
in Singapore saw the launch of the RSPO Indonesia
Liaison Office (RILO) to support the RSPO
secretariat in Kuala Lumpur and
promote the overall objectives of the RSPO in Indonesia.
A special meeting was held on 21 November 2006 to brief
stakeholders on the objectives and modus operandi of
RILO as well as to seek the views and support of the key
players in the oil palm industry in Indonesia,
particularly the Indonesian Palm Oil Commission (IPOC),
Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI),
WWF Indonesia and
Sawit Watch.
Mooted by WWF Indonesia in October, 2004 after RT2 in
Jakarta, RILO became a reality with the financial
support from the Dutch Government through the Trilateral
Partnership among Indonesia, Malaysia and the
Netherlands Specific functions of RILO include
assistance in:
-
Service to members (mailing, contacts) in Indonesia
-
Communication, including contribution of materials
in Bahasa Indonesia to the RSPO website, brochures
and other print or electronic materials
-
Networking with other organizations/institutions
-
Recruiting new members in Indonesia.
-
Organization of RSPO meetings and stakeholder
sessions in Indonesia
-
Assist
in the implementation and monitoring of progress of
RSPO projects in Indonesia
-
Assist
and facilitate fruitful cooperation between the
Partnership Market Access of Palm Oil and the RSPO
where feasible
Ms Deuxiemi (Desi)
Kusumadewi has been appointed the Liaison Officer to
manage RILO operations and the RSPO
Secretary-General in the
administration, management and implementation of
activities and projects necessary for meeting the
objectives of the RSPO in Indonesia. A graduate in BSc
in Agricultural Social Economics from Bogor Agricultural
University, Ms Desi has 6 years working experience with
a plantation company (Lyman Agro Group) in Indonesia.
During the initial six months, RILO office is located in
the premises of IPOC in Jakarta. In order to ensure that
RILO makes good progress from commencement, Mr Teoh
Cheng Hai, former SG of RSPO and Dr Rosediana Suharto,
Chairman-in-charge of IPOC have been appointed as
Advisors to provide support and guidance to the Liaison
Officer during this period.
Contact Desi
Kusumadewi, RSPO Indonesia Liaison Officer
desi@rspo.org
Read more about the RSPO Indonesia
Liaison Office
Verification Working Group (VWG)
The RSPO Verification Working Group (VWG)
has been established in order to provide detailed
recommendations on verification arrangements for
consideration by RSPO’s Executive Board (EB).
As the first step in this process, an Options Paper was
prepared, and circulated for comment by the members of
the VWG. Following incorporation of
these comments, a first draft of the detailed
recommendations for RSPO verification systems has been
prepared. This draft also takes account of
recommendations to the EB
previously made by the RSPO
Criteria Working Group. The
objective of these detailed requirements is to ensure
that RSPO assessments are carried out with objectivity
and consistency, together with the required levels of
technical rigour and stakeholder credibility. This draft
is now subject to a period of public consultation until
31 August 2006.
Following the public consultation phase, a subsequent
draft will be prepared for comment by the VWG, and final recommendations
will then be submitted to the RSPO Executive Board.
Download
minutes of the VWG kick-off meeting held on 22 February
2006
[45 KB]
Download RSPO draft verification systems paper
[129 KB]
or
[103 KB]
Smallholder Task Force (STF)
During the development of the RSPO Principles & Criteria
for Sustainable Palm Oil Production (P&C),
it was quickly recognised that smallholder producers,
who make up roughly 30% of palm production in Indonesia
for instance would need special attention when drawing
up the
P&C specifically for this sub-sector’s
use.
The smallholder palm oil producer sector defies
definition in terms of size and operations, and
discussions on defining what are smallholders have
historically brought into the argument more variables
and differences than convergence. While at national
level, producers like Malaysia have taken a step at
drawing a line between smallholder and plantation
growers through a size measurement (the rule of thumb is
holdings below 40ha are considered smallholders, and
started by the British colonial administrators in the
1930s in recognition of the increasing role of
smallholders). The picture in the next largest grower,
Indonesia in contrast has links between national and
regional players. Organisations like APKASINDO (or
Indonesian Oil Palm Growers Association) represents a
major link to regional smallholder groupings, while
regional or Kebupaten level government
apparatuses also maintain strong links to individual
farmers and smallholders.
However, smallholder producers require attention when
developing a definition and measurement for
sustainability. Within the distinct circumstances of
smallholders in various regions, the need to develop new
or adapt the
P&C becomes critical for smallholders’
becoming sustainable palm oil producers. At the 2nd
General Assembly (GA2), a motion was tabled by
SawitWatch, Migros, The Body Shop, New Britain Palm Oil
Ltd. and WWF-Switzerland for the formation of a
Smallholder Taskforce (STF) “to be led by the social
members of the
Executive Board of the RSPO, in open
and transparent collaboration with all other
RSPO members and
Executive Board members, and which
should encourage the maximum possible engagement of
smallholders, smallholders’ organisations, extensions
services and growers’ associations.”
The
activities proposed in this motion include:
-
Ensuring RSPO materials are translated into the
major national languages of the main countries with
smallholders engaged in oil palm cultivation;
-
Executing diagnostic surveys of smallholder
situations and views;
-
Executing activities and document trials of the
application of the
P&C with smallholders in order to
test the suitability of the
P&C and verification procedures
and to suggest modifications to better suit
smallholders interests, without compromising the
goals of the RSPO;
-
Holding open consultations during the pilot phase
with the fullest possible participation of
smallholder representatives on the RSPO
P&C;
-
Providing regular reports on all activities and
progress made to the RSPO
Secretariat
and RSPO
Executive Board;
-
Raising funds for these activities.
The
motion was accepted and now the need for the formation
of the STF will need to be carried out.
Download
minutes of the STF kick-off meeting held on 22 February
2006
[54 KB]
Update on the RSPO
Smallholder Task Force: RSPO reaches out to smallholders
By Marcus Colchester, Director, Forest Peoples
Programme
Since its inception, RSPO has been aware that
setting standards for planters and millers producing
Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is complicated by the huge
diversity in their situations. Differences between
countries constitute one challenge, to be met by the
development of national interpretations of the RSPO
standard, but the special needs of smallholders
constitute an even greater challenge. Smallholders
produce a significant proportion of the world’s palm
oil. Some 30% of CPO in Indonesia comes from
smallholdings, 10% in Malaysia, 50% in Papua New Guinea
and as much as 90% in Nigeria...
This article was
originally written for the RSPO Members' newsletter
(Jan-Mar 2006).
Download the full
article
[20 KB]
Declaration of Serikat Petani Kelapa Sawit, Sanggau
District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, 9 June 2006
Translated by Norman Jiwan, Sawit Watch
Bodok, 9 June 2006, some representatives of local
communities and indigenous peoples of sub-districts in
Sanggau district were meeting to build
common-understanding of well-organised and strongly
empowered unit of groups of farmers for the better
present and future conditions through an independent
union of oil palm farmers as means of struggling to gain
an equal and better economic, social, cultural, and
political conditions.
Download the declaration:
Towards better
practice in smallholder palm oil production
By Sonja Vermeulen and Nathalie Goad, IIED (July
2006)
...The aim of this report, based on a literature
review and inputs from key informants, is to provide a
systematic overview of the main types of arrangements
for smallholder palm oil production, and to identify the
most promising current options for improving practice,
particularly in arrangements of smallholders with
plantation companies and government agencies. The
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has identified a need
for such a review, and one purpose of this report is to
feed into the work of the RSPO Smallholder Task Force...
Download the full
report
[500 KB]
Stewardship & Best
Practices – Making it Work for Smallholder Farmers
By Syngenta (September 2006)
In 2004, Syngenta commissioned independent market
research in 8 countries, to determine the safe use
knowledge, attitudes and practices of those who spray
crop protection products. Similar surveys were extended
in 2005 to 14 countries, and also repeated in 2006 in 11
countries...
Download research
summary in English
[25 KB]
or Bahasa Indonesia
[25 KB]
Supply
Chain Project - Developing a mechanism for palm oil
traceability from plantation to end user
At the second RSPO
meeting (RT2)
in Jakarta in October 2004, it was agreed that in order
to promote the use of sustainable palm oil it would be
necessary to have a mechanism for linking the palm oil
being used by
RSPO members
and other responsible users (including industrial users
of palm oil based substances) with the oil palm
plantations being managed in accordance with the RSPO
criteria. This was seen as critical to the success of
the criteria as they were more likely to be implemented
in plantations if there was a clear market demand for
the oil produced. Consequently a decision was made by
RSPO to support a study aiming to develop a fuller
understanding of possible supply chain traceability
options for RSPO oil.
The
study, funded by the
Doen Foundation,
and undertaken by a team of RSPO members, has two main
phases:
-
Firstly, identifying possible options for managing
the supply chain and establishing which were the
most appropriate for RSPO
-
Secondly, elaborating and field testing the selected
options
Subsequently, the project team and facilitator convened
for two meetings in the Netherlands (29 June 2006) and
Malaysia (5 July 2006) to discuss findings and to
finalise the chain of custody procedures. Meeting
details were as follows:
Date: 29 June 2006
Venue: Product Board MVO (conference room) in The Hague,
The Netherlands
Direction:
http://www.mvo.nl/E/route.html
Contact:
http://www.mvo.nl/E/contact.html
Agenda:
[23 KB]
Date: 12 July 2006
Venue:
RSPO Secretariat
(Auditorium 1) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Agenda:
[23 KB]
Documents
Download
Final report: Developing a mechanism for palm oil
traceability from plantation to end user (August 2006)
[131 KB]
Download
Briefing note on supply chain options (August 2006)
[291 KB]
Download
Final report Annex 3: A background review of supply
chain traceability options
[916 KB]
Download
Final report Annex 4: Key findings from feasibility
study of supply chain traceability options
[94 KB]
Download
Final report Annex 5: A summary of options
[533 KB]
Download
Final report Annex 6: Draft chain of custody procedures
for pilot testing (May 2006)
[248 KB]
Information bank
The
following information and resources have been generously
provided by RSPO members and affiliates:
Field survey format to
test RSPO P&C (Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd)
A
field survey format to provide an operational-level
assessment of a plantation's performance measured
against the P&C's guidance and indicators, by Dr Gan
Lian Tiong, April 2006.
Download
field survey format
[339 KB]
Self -assessment tool
based on RSPO P&C (New Britain Palm Oil Ltd)
A self-assessment tool to provide a high-level snapshot
analysis of a particular plantation's performance
measured against the P&C, by Dr Simon Lord and Mr Allan
Thomas, April 2006.
Download
self-assessment tool
[95 KB]
Diversity of birds and mammals in the forest reserves of
the Agropalma Group, in
Tailândia municipality, state of Pará, Brazil
Final Report by Professor Dr Luís Fabio Silveira,
Universidade de São Paulo - USP, General Coordinator and
Birds Project and MSc Líliam Patrícia Pinto, PPG Ecology
- UNICAMP, Mammals Project, October 2004.
Download
full document
[2.9 MB]
Skal
International/Control Union Certifications
EUREPGAP Fruit and Vegetables
Grower (option 1) Assessment Report for Version
2.1-Oct04 (Including control points and compliance
criteria)
This document is used to
evaluate whether the individual grower fulfils the
requirements of Option 1 of the EUREPGAP standard for
Fruit and Vegetables (F&V) and used for the assessment
of the Farmer Group members. This document is based on
the EUREPGAP Fruit and Vegetables Control Points and
Compliance Criteria Version 2.1-Oct04.
Download
full document
[391 KB]
Control Union Certifications -
Skal International EUREPGAP
Farmer Group (option 2) Assessment Report / Quality
Management System Checklist for All Scopes
This
document is used to evaluate whether the Farmer Group
fulfils the requirements of Option 2 of the EUREPGAP
standard for all scopes. This document is based on the
requirements for Farmer Groups seeking a certificate
under Option 2 as laid out in the EUREPGAP General
Regulations. The evaluation process consists of two
elements: audit of the Farmer Group Quality Management
System and the inspection of a sample of registered
members. The Farmer Group Quality Management System must
be implemented and in one or more audits proved to work
satisfactorily before certification take place. This
documents includes all points of the EUREPGAP Quality
Management System Checklist (EUREPGAP_CL_GR_QMS).
Download
full document
[131 KB]
MIGROS Criteria for Oil Palm
Plantations
The
MIGROS criteria aim to provide a baseline which ensures
that oil palm plantations which supply it with palm oil
are managed in a reasonably sustainable way. To achieve
this requires an appropriate balance of economic, social
and environmental management.
Download
full document
[71 KB]
Unilever's Sustainable
Agriculture Checklist
This
checklist has been developed under the Unilever
Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, in line with the
good agricultural practice guidelines for the five key
crops - palm oil, tea, peas (frozen), spinach (frozen)
and tomatoes. It is intended to support and guide the
development of sustainable management practices for all
key crops bought by Unilever companies.
Download
full document
[280 KB]
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