Cargill and Palm Oil Production

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

Created in 2004, the role of the RSPO is “to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through cooperation within the supply chain and open dialogue between its stakeholders.” The RSPO is an international, multi-stakeholder forum of environmental and social non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, and civil society from many different countries that produce or use palm oil.

One of the main goals of the RSPO is to develop criteria for responsible palm production throughout the supply chain. The RSPO criteria, once finalized, will seek to preserve the environment, protect animal species like orangutans and tigers, promote employee safety, and facilitate the trade of sustainable palm products.

Cargill and the RSPO

Cargill is an active member of the RSPO and is encouraging other stakeholders to join the roundtable. Cargill is one of 15 plantation owners/operators that has volunteered to have its plantations used in an RSPO pilot test that will be completed in November 2007.

Cargill is already assessing its policies, practices, and operations on it palm plantations to assess if they meet the proposed RSPO sustainability criteria. Once the RSPO formalizes its criteria, Cargill will work to have its plantations certified as meeting the RSPO criteria and strive to source palm from sustainable suppliers.

Until the criteria are formalized, the RSPO has stated that no plantation may state that it is supplying RSPO-certified products. For more information, go to www.rspo.org/criteria.htm.

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