Introduction
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is initiating its five year review cycle of the 2018 RSPO Principles and Criteria (P&C) and the review of the 2019 RSPO Independent Smallholder Standard. The development of standard requirements applicable to medium growers and Scheme Smallholders will also be explored.
Apart from reviewing the standard applicable to the production of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) and Certified Fresh Fruit Bunch (CFFB), this process also aims to make recommendations on which elements of the revised P&C should be applied to non-grower RSPO members as part of their shared responsibility to promote sustainable palm oil.
The objective of this process is to review and streamline the production standard to ensure continued relevance and effectiveness in demonstrating that palm oil produced and sold as RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) is credible and inclusive.
To strengthen the credibility of the RSPO certification scheme, this review process strives to address the following key challenges:
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Ensuring the comprehensiveness and relevance of RSPO Standards;
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Achieving desired impact;
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Clarifying interpretations and uncertainties;
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Resolving inadequate capacities and resources in the assurance systems; and
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Aligning RSPO approaches with other sustainability initiatives.
Timeline
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February 2022
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Project kick-off |
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March - May 2022
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Collection of member feedback on P&C 2018 and establishment of governance structure |
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May 2022
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First Task Force meeting |
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August 2022
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First Public Consultation on revised standards |
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February 2023
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Second Public Consultation on revised standards |
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August 2023
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Standard Standing Committee (SSC) approval |
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September 2023
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Field testing |
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October 2023
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Board of Governors (BoG) endorsement |
| November 2023 |
General Assembly adoption and release |
Survey
Feedback and comments from stakeholders and members are crucial in preparing for a comprehensive review of RSPO Standards. As such, a survey will be conducted in March 2022 among RSPO members via email, to collect feedback pertaining to:
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Implementation challenges of existing/ revised standards (Criteria/Indicator level)
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Auditability of existing/revised Criteria/ Indicators
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Any emerging issues including latest developments in the certification industry (outcome-, impact-, and/or risk-based approaches, climate resiliency, etc.)
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Any emerging issues including developments of the palm oil industry
Survey will be open through 14 April 2022.
Take Survey:
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Where To Learn More About Standards Review
The review process will be guided by the RSPO Standard Operating Procedure for Standard Setting and Review (2020), in line with ISEAL Alliance’s requirements and the ISEAL Standard-setting Code of Good Practices V6.
Please review the Terms of Reference (ToR) & Review Process for complete details endorsed by the RSPO Board of Governors on 14 February 2022.
Governance Structure
Governance Structure Members
The RSPO Standard Standing Committee (SSC) will provide oversight on the entire process, wherein a Steering Group, consisting of the CEO of the RSPO Secretariat and the Co-Chairs of the RSPO Standards, Assurance, Market Development and Smallholder Standing Committee will ensure a coordinated, comprehensive and joint approach to the review, and will make decisions in the event that consensus cannot be achieved at the TF level.
The RSPO SSC will also establish the Standard Review Task Force (TF) and a range of Technical Committees (TCs):
Standard Review Task Force (TF)
| WHO: |
The TF will comprise 24 RSPO members with balanced representation between growers (12), supply chain (6) and NGO (6) members. |
| ROLES: |
The TF will assign tasks to, and receive proposals from, a range of thematic TCs and thereafter make consensus recommendations regarding the standard’s content and revision to the SSC. |
| MEMBER APPOINTMENT: |
Each of the seven stakeholder groups will nominate a representative and alternative, both RSPO members, to serve on the TF. |
Technical Committees (TCs)
| WHO: |
Members of the TCs may or may not be an RSPO member. The opportunity will be for external parties and experts to participate in the TCs to ensure that the skills and experience needed are available. Each TC shall have a minimum of two (2) grower representatives to ensure sufficient participation of stakeholders who are directly impacted by changes to the RSPO Principles & Criteria.. |
| ROLES: |
The TCs will assist in the formulation of the revised standard, in particular the development of Indicators, guidance, etc., to ensure the overarching Principles and Criteria are deliverable on the ground. |
| MEMBER APPOINTMENT: |
Appointment of TCs members will be made by the TF based on their skills and experience according to the task requirements allocated to each TC. |
Interested in serving on a TC?
Please send your contact details and CV here.
Please email standards.development@rspo.org or the appropriate Secretariat contact below:
Standards
Principles and Criteria 2018
(P&C)
VIEW
2019 RSPO Independent Smallholder (ISH) Standard
VIEW
