InfoSAWIT, KUALA LUMPUR - Multi-stakeholder non-government organization that focuses on sustainable palm oil practices - Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) supports everything to solve deforestation and forest degradation globally including what European Union does to confirm that every product that is in EU should not have something with deforestation.
on 6 December 2022 European Parliament and European Union Board came to a conclusion about European Union Deforestation Regulation that palm oil, cow meat, wood, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and soybean are in it.
The regulation would be regulating every derivative product from chosen palm oil product (used as component in personal care – product) within review activity that would be done every twice a year to know if other product would be having the same.
As in the official statement to InfoSAWIT, in the legislation process, RSPO claimed that the proposal should be reinforced to prevent the leak of deforestation to other countries which have lower social and environmental standards, confirm that EU regulation would not deliver impacts for every party in the process.
“We are satisfied that our proposal to escalate implementation process from 12 to be 18 months, has been considered. The implementation process is needed to make sure that smallholders could fulfill every legislation terms and conditions and could run in the supply chain in the continent in order not to threaten social-economic development from sustainable palm oil to millions of smallholders and vulnerable communities,” Director of Market Transformation, RSPO, Inke van der Sluijs, said.
She also mentioned, RSPO has to admit that traceability is significant to show up a product derived from sustainable practices and the companies’ needs to gather area information which they used, are not from deforestation. It means, the obedience of such commodities can be examined.
“But additional supports for smallholders are needed still to avoid the impacts that could damage. The implication of the regulation to smallholders should be having assessment carefully,” Inke said.
It needs to reach out millions of smallholders in many villagers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Africa, and Latin America. They need information, trainings. That is why to support them in this transition, the companies should get cooperation with local authorities, non-government organizations, and every local actor in this supply chain.
The other elements from the agreement are, time limit (31 December 2020, numbers of checks by authorities, obligation of operator and traders. RSPO supports the goals of the agreement to avoid duplication of obligation, reduce administration burden for operator and authorities and multiply possibility for small operator to depend on bigger operator to prepare due diligence declaration.
“RSPO believe that volunteer certification standard would be significant tool for many companies to get risk assessment and deliver clear contribution to their obedience on European Union regulation,” Inke van der Sluijs said. (T2)
