New RSPO Standards adopt refined approach to deforestation

26 October 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has recently observed factually incorrect statements concerning the draft 2024 RSPO Standards in relation to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and No Deforestation, published by Infosawit and Greenpeace.

RSPO has revised 2024 RSPO Principles and Criteria and the 2024 Independent Smallholder Standard. These standards have been developed by the organisation's members in a long, transparent and inclusive process, reflecting our shared commitment to sustainability, community rights, and environmental protection.

A statement by RSPO stated that these standards were unanimously endorsed by the multistakeholder RSPO Board of Governors, and proposed for adoption by RSPO Members at the General Assembly in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13 November 2024. They represent a significant step forward in ensuring the sustainable growth of the palm oil industry through implementable and auditable standards.

Among the key highlights of the new Standards are strengthened commitments to human rights.

RSPO reiterates that there has been no reduction in the requirements for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in the updated Standards.

RSPO stated, "Our global partnership remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Through strong and transparent Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes, we ensure that these communities are thoroughly informed and have willingly given their consent before any development is undertaken on their lands."

To this end, RSPO will continue to work with its members, including growers and social NGOs, to strengthen how FPIC requirements are applied on the ground, particularly in contentious areas where legacy issues prevail.

The RSPO Standards have prohibited the conversion of primary forests since 2005 and prohibited any deforestation (based on High Conservation Value and High Carbon Stock assessments of forests and high carbon environments) since 15 November 2018.

Contrary to the inaccurate reporting by Greenpeace, addressing deforestation remains a key criterion in the RSPO Standards. The 2024 revision builds on the solid foundation set by the 2018 Principles and Criteria (P&C), refining and enhancing key components to address implementation challenges. Central to this revision is the implementation of the Integrated High Conservation Value-High Carbon Stock (HCV-HCS) approach.

The revised HCS definition emphasises proxies, such as above-ground and below-ground carbon storage, to measure how carbon is sequestered within forest ecosystems and explicitly references the Integrated HCV-HCSA Assessment Manual, which incorporates fundamental components from the HCSA Toolkit.

RSPO Certification remains closely aligned with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Despite the potential delay in the EUDR implementation, RSPO will continue to prepare to facilitate compliance for our members. The RSPO will soon begin transitioning to a new digital traceability system, prisma, which will allow members to incorporate EUDR-compliance geolocation data into their traceability records, thus facilitating adherence to both RSPO Certification and EUDR Requirements.

RSPO endeavours to provide coherence against a range of regulatory requirements beyond the EUDR, including no-deforestation regulations in other jurisdictions and regulatory requirements on human rights, labour, and other sustainability issues such as gender policies, pesticides and water management.

The RSPO remains committed to promoting sustainable palm oil production that balances social, environmental and economic benefits in an equitable way. They look forward to continued dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure that the 2024 RSPO Standards are implemented with the highest level of integrity and transparency.