Symposium on Sustainable Resource Development -
May 18, 2006
Institute of Directors, London
The roundtable on sustainable palm oil – purpose and progress
by Tim Stephenson, Trading and Finance Director, Aarhus-Karlshamns
The world population is estimated to increase from
6.39 billion people in 2004 to 10.8 billion in 2050. This increase in population
will have profound implications on food production and supply. For example,
vegetable oil demand has also increased significantly from 58.8 million tones in
1991/2 to 109.2 million tones in 2005. Added to this is the rising demand for
‘green energy’, which, in turn, is leading to a surge in demand for vegetable
oils. The rapidly increasing demand for vegetable oils as both food and latterly
as fuel is expected to increase the social and environmental impact on producing
countries worldwide. A global multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable palm
oil which came in the wake of a global call for more sustainable development and
land use of the earth’s resources, was established on April 8 under Article 60
of the Swiss Civil Code as the "Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil" (RSPO). This
unique platform aims to expand sustainable production and use of palm oil
through co-operation within the supply chain and open dialogue between it’s
stakeholders. RSPO was setup as a business to business initiative between
companies along the supply chain, including producers in association with the
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Currently the RSPO has 96 ordinary members
organised in 7 sectors - oil palm growers (27), palm oil processors or
traders (32), consumer goods manufacturers (14), retailers (9), banks and
investors (4),environmental / nature conservation NGOs (6), social/developmental NGOs (4). The RSPO ratified the Principles and Criteria (P
& C) for Sustainable Production at its 2nd General Assembly held after the 3rd
Roundtable Meeting on Nov 23, 2005 in Singapore. The P & C set the foundation
for production of sustainable palm oil that takes into consideration long term
economic viability, environmental protection and conservation and recognition of
workers and local communities.
Click here to download the presentation.
Source - The Malaysian Palm Oil Council
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