CSPO Trademark Launches at Globoil India & Kashmiri Food Entrepreneur Commits to Using Sustainable Palm Oil at the 10th Young India Challenge

Globoil India 2019 
RSPO India representative, Kamal Prakash Seth, and RSPO Head of European Operations, Dr. Inke van der Sluijs, facilitated a Supply Chain workshop in Mumbai as well as several other sessions and stakeholder consultations at the 23rd Globoil India – India’s largest edible oil conference.

At the event, held from 25 to 27 September, RSPO won the ‘Think CSR 2019’ award for ‘Excellence in Sustainability’ and was also recognised for its work in driving sustainable palm oil in India, and supporting the transition to sustainable supply chains and policies. The award was presented by Baba Ramdev, a renowned Yoga Guru and the force behind one of India’s largest consumer goods manufacturers, Patanjali. 

The event also provided Kamal and Dr. Inke a platform for a fruitful meeting with the Minister of Primary Industries Malaysia, Teresa Kok, to discuss a roadmap for areas of common interest. Furthermore, RSPO India member, Frigorifico Allana showcased their RSPO Trademarked product Alfa, which is being supplied to leading quick service restaurants in India.

“The decision by Frigorifico Allana demonstrates their commitment to the use of the RSPO Trademark on its products, such as Alfa, in India. More and more companies like Yum brands (KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell), Ferrero, Mars, and many others who are committed to procure sustainable palm oil products are playing a key role in transforming the market in India,” said Kamal.

He added, “As the largest importer of palm oil in the world, businesses in India have the opportunity to have a positive effect on the production of palm oil, farmers, workers, and the environment and climate change as a whole.”   

The event was held at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and attended by several members of the India-Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition (I-SPOC), a unique business-led initiative that directs its efforts towards increasing the consumption and trade of sustainable palm oil through awareness generation, peer to peer exchange, capacity building, and policy advocacy. 

For the first time at the Conference, the delegates were served food cooked in RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil supplied by AAK Kamani. “We are happy to supply RSPO certified sustainable palm oil for Globoil India 2019. For the first time, people at an industry conference get to enjoy food prepared in sustainable cooking oil. It’s time that businesses in India move towards responsible procurement and do our bit for people, planet, and prosperity, and sustainable development goals,” said Prakash Chawla, AAK Kamani CEO.

10th Young India Challenge (YIC)   

Another major event in India that RSPO played a significant role in recently, is the 10th Young India Challenge (YIC), where 500 students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs from more than 75 cities came together to find solutions for some of the key challenges faced by India. 

Attendees worked together in teams on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 13, for Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action, respectively. The event took place at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, on 12 and 13 October 2019. RSPO was the Sustainability Partner for the event, which focused on the theme Sustainable Living.

RSPO encouraged the youth to become Sustainability Warriors, of which, hundreds of young people have shown an interest in during recent months. Further, a few deserving candidates have been invited to join the inaugural edition of the ‘Asian Youth for Sustainable Palm Oil Summit,’ which is being held in conjunction with RSPO’s annual roundtable conference (RT17) in Bangkok, early next month.

RSPO also took the opportunity to moderate a dialogue on how to make sustainable supply chains more mainstream in India. The session proved most interesting with representatives from some of India’s leading youth and media organisations participating, such as Prashant Jha, Hindi Editor of Youth Ki Awaaz; Namrata Kilpady, Campaign Manager of Change.org; Devik Sodha, President of AIESEC India; and Saneesh Cherian, Head of Business Management of The Logical Indian.

The panelists discussed how sustainability issues are tackled by digital media organisations, multinational corporations, and governments. One of the outcomes of the discussion was to develop a consensus for #YouthforSustainability and called for collaboration amongst like-minded organisations to reach millions of people in India.

Another highlight of the conference was that Parsa’s, Kashmir’s largest food chain, became the first Desi (Indian) brand to use RSPO certified refined palmolein (provided by RSPO member Frigorifico Allana). “We feel proud to be the first Indian and Kashmiri food chain to make our products with trademarked and certified sustainable palm oil. We hope this will encourage other similar businesses to follow suit and transition to responsible sourcing policies, which protect the environment, biodiversity and people at large,” said Ramsa Jaan, the owner of Parsa’s Delhi outlet.

The 10th Young India Challenge was the most diverse to date with more than 50 speakers, mentors, and jury members, some of which were representatives from RSPO member organisations and partners in India. 
 
For further information, please contact:
Kamal Prakash Seth
India Representative, RSPO
E: [email protected]

Pictures:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1meWy1M446cqZrioIg6dQ7jGvFUSkjsGV?usp=sharing