KUALA LUMPUR: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an international multi-stakeholder organisation, aims to further increase the adoption of its trademark following the record 61 trademark licences issued to 13 countries to date.
Secretary-general Darrel Webber said the entire sustainable palm oil supply chain benefitted tremendously from the adoption of the RSPO trademark as the increase in uptake of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) naturally led to higher demand.
“We see the trademark as the ultimate vehicle to bring the subject of sustainable palm oil closer to consumers and to boost demand for CSPO and encourage market uptake,” he said in a statement.
He added the step marked the entry of the RSPO trademark in the everyday life of many consumers around the globe, as for the first time, they would be able to consciously choose products which contained CSPO.
RSPO certification at the plantation level and the trademark on the end product completes the loop from upstream to downstream within the supply chain and would reflect that sustainable oil palm cultivation does not contribute to the sustained destruction of valuable tropical forests or damage the interests of people in the regions where the palms are grown, he added.
Webber said producers of household products such as margarine, cookies, chocolate, soap and cosmetics are able to clearly show their commitment to sustainable palm oil through the use of this trademark.
Palm oil is gaining increasing importance in the global economy because of its high yield and versatile application in a range of products from food to personal care to biofuels, he said.
He added that RSPO members are conscious that growing global demand created risks for the protection of natural habitats and local communities in producing countries.
The RSPO trademark brings greater visibility to the efforts of the RSPO supply chain members in consumer markets and for this reason they are actively engaged in increasing the sustainability of palm oil production worldwide, said Webber. — Bernama