To make palm oil 'sustainable' local communities must be in charge

Ecologist 14th May 2015

The palm oil industry's repeated failure to keep its promises illustrates why global initiatives to achieve 'sustainable palm oil' must place communities centre-stage, writes FPP. Standard-setters like the RSPO must demand action, enforcement and accountability - not just lofty commitments that inspire hope, but rarely deliver.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification logo is increasingly visible on everyday groceries containing palm oil.

This looks like progress - RSPO membership and certification commits member companies to social and environmental sustainability. And the RSPO boasts many of the biggest palm oil producers and buyers among its membership.

Yet the palm oil industry's bad reputation lives on. Displacement and dispossession of indigenous peoples and local communities from their lands, farms and forests are rife.

Rampant forest loss, peat fires and threats to the Orang-utan and other species also continue. Consumers hoping to buy their favourite soap or peanut butter with a clear conscience may well start avoiding palm oil altogether, certified or not.

And among the companies doing the damage, many are RSPO members. How so?

Read the full article here

---