Rspo News

Oil palm plantation in peninsular Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Palm oil is widely acknowledged as one of the most important drivers of deforestation and forest diminishment in Southeast…

OIC’s Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit (HOCRU) with the assistance of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SCOP), the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority (BPKEL), and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA)…

Palm fruit. Photo by Rhett Butler. The European Commission has approved palm oil-based biodiesel for the renewable fuels standard provided it is certified under the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil…

Clearing of trees in a concession area of Herakles Farm’s area for a palm oil plantation. Greenpeace says these clearings are illegal since Herakles' lease has not been given final…

Palm oil imports to China, India, and the European Union (25 countries), 2000-2010 China and India, the world's largest palm oil buyers, should reduce or eliminate an import tariff on…

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is holding its tenth annual meeting later this month. The initiative, which aims to improve the social and environmental performance of palm oil…

Forest clearing for palm oil production in Cameroon. Photo courtesy of Greenpeace Herakles Farm, a U.S.-based agricultural developer, will no longer seek eco-certification of its 70,000-hectare oil palm plantation in…

100 percent of New Britain Palm Oil Limited's palm oil will be eco-certified, segregated, and fully traceable by the end of the year, reports the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil…

Oil palm and logged over rainforest in Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler 2008. Unilever is in talks to build a $130 million palm oil processing mill in Indonesia as…

Sumatran orangutan. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Environmental groups are escalating their battle over an area of peat forest in Tripa, Sumatra that has been granted for oil palm plantations.…

A new study suggests shifting to certified palm oil production increases profitability despite higher production costs. The study, which was conducted by WWF, a major backer of the Roundtable on…

Soy in the Brazilian Amazon The success of governments and big corporations in eliminating environmental degradation from the products we consume will play a critical role in determining the fate…

Production and sales of palm oil certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reached record volume in 2011, reports a new analysis published by the multistakeholder body. Production…

Belgium will source only palm oil certified under the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) by 2015 under a pledge by an alliance of major processors, manufacturers, and industry associations,…

2011 was designated as "Year of the Forests" by the United Nations. While there was relatively little progress on intergovernmental forest protection programs during the year, a lot happened elsewhere.…

Owing to the high yield of the African oil palm tree, palm oil is today the cheapest commercial source of edible oil. But oil palm expansion in recent decades has…

As part of our coverage of the 9th Annual Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil currently underway in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, mongabay.com is interviewing participants and attendees. In…

Oil palm in Sumatra Palm oil giant Wilmar Corp misled the public over a conflict between local communities and one of its subsidiaries in Sumatra, alleges a new report published…

McDonald's Corp. has officially joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a body that sets criteria for improving the social and environmental performance of palm oil production. The move…

Palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Girl Scouts USA has announced that it will lessen palm oil in its ubiquitous cookies by using alternatives when…

To encourage uptake of palm oil that is less damaging to the environment, the European Union (EU) should lift the import duty on palm oil certified under Roundtable on Sustainable…

The Malaysian government is developing its own certification system for palm oil production, potentially creating another rival to the certification system run by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO),…

Agribusiness giant Cargill will ensure all palm oil supplied to customers in Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand is certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO),…

Oil palm plantation in Malaysia. Photo by Jeremy Hance. Members of the European Parliament have voted in favor of listing specific vegetable oils — including palm oil — on product…

Just days after being rejected by the the Senate Community Affairs Committee, Australia's Senate passed the Amended Truth in Labeling - Palm Oil Bill. The bill, which requires products containing…

PT Menteng's alleged breach of Indonesia's forest moratorium. The red areas are off-limits to new concessions. An alleged breach of Indonesia's new moratorium on primary forest and peatlands conversion may…

This article is a longer version of story that appeared at Yale e360: In Brazil, Palm Oil Plantations Could Help Preserve Amazon. For years now, environmentalists have become accustomed to…

This article is a longer version of story that appeared at Yale e360: In Brazil, Palm Oil Plantations Could Help Preserve Amazon. For years now, environmentalists have become accustomed to…

The Dutch food and feed industry has bought the first soy produced under the principles of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS), a body that aims to bring more…

Oil palm and logged over rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler 2008. Girls Scouts USA has censored its Facebook page after receiving comments criticizing the organization, according…