RSPO Irrelevant in Improving Management of Palm Oil Plantations in Indonesia

Fact Sheet

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global nonprofit organization that aims to address issues related to
unsustainable palm oil production. Some of the challenges it seeks to address include:

1. Environmental damages (such as deforestation, loss of wildlife habitat, and environmental pollution),
2. Social conflicts (such as land grabbing triggering conflicts between communities, companies, and governments),
3. High market demand (leading to the expansion of palm oil plantations without considering environmental and social impacts)
4. Pressure from consumers (demand for sustainably produced palm oil products).

Through stringent standards and certification, RSPO ensures that the palm oil production has a positive impact on the environment and society. However, two decades after its inception, the RSPO has failed in its mission to make the palm oil enterprise sector `sustainable`. Instead, the RSPO has grown to be a tool of `legitimacy` for palm oil enterprises to mask environmental destruction, human rights abuses, and land grabbing.

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