Bisnis Indonesia, 15 November 2018
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is considering deforestation issue and peatland protection in its revision of certification criteria. RSPO CEO Darrel Webber at a press conference on Wednesday (November 14) said RSPO and High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Steering Group were working on ways to stop deforestation by identifying, preserving, and improving ratio of forests with high conservation value and high carbon stock. The new certification criteria will consider duration to move oil palm plantations onto non-peatland area, which Webber estimated would need up to 40 years.
In addition, RSPO is also considering certification for smallholders, as 40% of oil palm plantations in the world are being managed by smallholders.