RSPO

RSPO or Roundtable on sustainable palm oil ensures the global standard for sustainable palm oil. If you have already searched the market for palm oil from sustainable sources, you have probably come across this abbreviation or organisation. However, if you are hearing about this certification for the first time, don’t despair — you will learn everything you need in this article.

About this article

We thank Ivana Jačalová for this helpful article on RSPO and palm oil certification. In it we look at what RSPO certification means, what types of certificate producers obtain, what is meant by sustainable palm oil and why it makes sense to reach for certified oil.

RSPO at a glance

RSPO certification

Manufacturers and consumers alike are paying increasing attention to the environmental consequences and the footprint of oil production. Palm oil in particular is coming to the forefront in this field, as it is sometimes associated with practices that are neither ecological nor gentle on the environment.

RSPO certification was created in response to the growing requirements for sustainable sourcing of raw materials and to global concerns about environmentally harmful palm oil production. This certificate serves as a guarantee for customers that the production of palm oil took place in a form that is sustainable for the environment.

Palm oil producers are certified after undergoing a strict inspection of their manufacturing and cultivation practices. The certificate is granted only once all the requirements arising from the RSPO principles and criteria have been met. At the same time, in the case of a negative change in the manufacturing and production process, this certificate can be withdrawn. There is also a control of the entire processing chain, in order to prevent certified oils from being mixed with non-certified ones, or with oils obtained through non-ecological practices, without proper labelling of the resulting product.

Types of certification

There are several certificates that manufacturers can obtain. In the case of pure sustainable palm oil, there are two categories.

• IP (identity preserved)

  In this case it is possible to trace the palm oil directly back to its single source.

• Segregated oil

  Certified sustainably sourced palm oil is kept separate from non-certified oil, but it is obtained by mixing several certified palm oils from different suppliers, i.e. it comes from various certified sources. Again, it is possible to trace the oil back to its original producers.

There is also the designation Mixed, where palm oil is not 100% obtained from sustainable sources but instead arises from mixing sustainably and conventionally sourced palm oil. The effort to obtain this designation is also common among producers, since it is a cheaper and faster process than producing palm oil from 100% sustainable sources.

What is meant by sustainable palm oil?

You too may be wondering what exactly lies behind the designation sustainable palm oil. According to the RSPO guidelines, it refers to palm oil that has been obtained under the condition that producers respected and took into account the local population, that no deforestation of protected areas occurred and that the impact of production on the environment was minimised.

Being a member of RSPO does not mean that a manufacturer automatically produces only certified palm oil. Membership in RSPO does, however, mean a time-limited commitment to more sustainable production, and members must also demonstrate the fulfilment of tasks towards achieving this goal. The production of the oil itself must undergo an approval process, and only then does the RSPO member obtain a certificate for the palm oil produced.

Why choose certified oil?

A lot has been written about the ecological unsustainability of palm oil production. Nevertheless, it remains a fact that this oil has universal uses from the food industry to cosmetics, and in some products it would be difficult to replace, or the price of the product would increase several times over.

This is also why organisations such as RSPO are emerging, which try to lead oil producers towards more sustainable practices and at the same time bring transparency into the entire production chain. Thanks to the annual reports of RSPO members, it is possible to trace how much palm oil individual producers use and produce, and what form of certification they use. As a result, consumers ultimately have more information before buying a given product and can opt for a product made from raw materials obtained in a more sustainable way.

Palm oil and wax in our range

In the Handymade range you will find Palm oil/fat, 900 g in a pack that is well suited to home crafting.

If you make your products in larger volumes, a large pack of Palm oil/fat, 10 kg is also available.

Palm wax BW C09, 1 kg, which you will find among the waxes for candle making, also comes from the palm.

Frequently asked questions about RSPO

Practical questions about palm oil certification — what the abbreviation stands for, what types of certificate exist and what membership of RSPO brings with it.

RSPO and conclusion

Have you already heard of RSPO or of palm oil certification? Do you use palm oil in your own products?

Write to us with your opinion or observations and let’s stir up a conversation about certification and the quality of raw materials at [email protected].

We thank Ivana Jačalová for the helpful article.