RSPO announces RSPO Next

Further to the announcement earlier this year of its work on additional voluntary guidelines, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has announced the issuing of a first draft of RSPO Next. It is available for review and public consultation for 60 days, from 7 August 2015.

This draft of the voluntary addendum is the result of the work of a multi stakeholder task force comprising of growers, traders, retailers, social and environmental NGOs members of the RSPO board of governors. The group developed guidance following the themes of no deforestation, greenhouse gas reduction, no fire, no planting on peat, respect for human rights and transparency.

The guidelines, previously referred to with a working title of RSPO+, are now known by the new RSPO board of governors’ approved name of RSPO Next. It is an initiative to engage with RSPO member companies (producers, suppliers and users of palm products) that have met the current requirements of the RSPO Principles and Criteria and, in addition, through their policies and actions, exceeded them. RSPO Next will provide the credibility that only on the ground third party verification of actions can bring, on issues such as forest and peatland protection and indigenous peoples rights.

Datuk Darrel Webber, secretary-general of the RSPO, says, “The process has moved at a tremendous speed thanks to the work of a team of dedicated experts. This great collaborative effort has now resulted in a draft that we are very proud to share with the world. We know that this draft is not free of flaws, as yet, and it is for this reason we share it and invite comments.

“We view RSPO Next as a demonstration of renewed agility within this organisation in responding to market demands. It will represent the next level of best practices in the palm industry, at the production level. And once implemented, our members will have the tools to move from pledges to independently and transparently verified actions, which is a crucial value of the RSPO platform.”

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