National Commitments refer to country-level initiatives, spearheaded by industry, government, or both, to forge alliances towards Certified Sustainable Palm Oil commitments. These undertakings show the importance of collaboration in realizing a vision that promotes environmental protection, wildlife conservation and human rights and social issues.
These National Commitments have been established independently of the RSPO by industry players, including government bodies in some cases. The RSPO seeks to play an instrumental role in the growth and success of these National Commitments, by:
- providing information in terms of knowledge sharing on membership and market performance data;
- announcing commitments through the RSPO Annual Communications Of Progress;
- facilitating upstream and supply chain certification processes;
- RSPO messaging and positioning on various issues.
Discover Current
National Commitments
Germany - The German Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP)
Description/Driver for action
The Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative of around 50 companies, associations, non-governmental organisations, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The German Corporation for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ) coordinates the secretariat on behalf of the BMEL.
For the past five years, FONAP has actively engaged in activities within producer countries that promote sustainable palm oil production. Hereby, the aim is to increase the amount of sustainably produced and consumed palm oil in the food, feed and chemical sectors, while improving existing schemes and ensuring the implementation of human rights standards along the global supply chain. Companies engage with this multi-stakeholder partnership in order to tackle complex challenges, such as those surrounding certification systems or the adherence to human rights obligations, together instead of on an individual company-based level. There are multiple opportunities for FONAP members to get involved with these activities, for example through knowledge exchanges with experts during events, participation in diverse working groups, or through supporting sustainable cultivation as part of the FONAP smallholder project in Malaysia.
Commitments
The members of FONAP agree to:
Source 100% of their crude refined and unrefined palm oil (without fractions and derivatives) using at least the Segregated (SG) supply chain option;
Source 100% of their crude, refined and unrefined palm kernel oil (without fractions and derivatives):
- using at least the Mass Balance (MB) supply chain option
- from 1 January 2018 using at least the segregated (SG) supply chain option.
With regard to fractions and derivatives (irrespective of whether these are based on palm oil or palm kernel oil):
- From 2020 source 100% using at least the mass balance supply chain option.
- Exceptions apply and with requirements for the non-food sector only, provided that the lack of availability can be explained plausibly, and an action plan is submitted to achieve the target.
Progress
FONAP commissioned the study "Analysis of the palm oil market in Germany in 2019" which shows that 83% of palm oil used in Germany is certified sustainable and that increasing sustainability certification for palm oil in diverse market sectors is ongoing. Members of FONAP are frontrunners in market transformation because they are already fully implementing the 100% goal in diverse industries.
The FONAP Smallholder Project in Malaysia culminating in March 2021 helped the smallholders involved develop a better understanding of the importance of biodiversity on and in their soils. The smallholders have seen that organic production without the use of pesticides is possible and can even lead to higher yields. Initial evidence has also been gathered that diversification of farming can have a positive impact on soil fertility and income.
The PalmoilTrace – FarmGate app developed by the company Koltiva is used to record the transactions of certified smallholder producers and palm oil distributors and allows certified palm oil to be traced seamlessly. Find out more about the project here.
More information can be found here:
https://www.forumpalmoel.org/the-fonap
Italy - Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil
Description/Driver for Action
The Italian Union for Sustainable Palm Oil was established in October 2015 by a group of Companies and Associations operating in the food industry that use palm oil, with the aim of acting as a useful interface for actively promoting a culture of sustainability for this product.
The following companies and associations currently form the Union: Ferrero, ISF Italy, Nestlé, Unigrà, Assitol (the Italian Oil Industry Association) and Unione Italiana Food, born from the merger of two of the most representative associations of the Italian food industry, AIDEPI (Association of the Italian Sweet and Pasta Industries) and AIIPA (Italian Association of Food Products Industries).
The Union promotes the use of sustainable palm oil by Italian companies producing consumer goods and runs communication activities to promote sustainable palm oil awareness and uptake. Transparency and scientific objectivity are the principles upon which its activities are based. The Union organises events, conferences, education and information campaigns; it promotes and supports research and scientific studies, and takes all action aimed at raising awareness of sustainable palm oil production and distribution among institutions, the media and the heads of economic and social bodies in various capacities.
Commitments
Union members made two major commitments: to use 100% RSPO-certified palm oil in their products by the end of 2016; and use 100% sustainable palm oil, according to stricter criteria, by 2020. Stricter criteria include traceability, no peat, no deforestation and no exploitation.
Progress
In 2019, 92% of palm oil used in the food sector in Italy was RSPO certified sustainable; of this 98% was RSPO Segregated (SG) and 2% was RSPO Mass Balance (MB).
The remaining 8% originated from supply chains that satisfied the No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) criteria. The figures confirm the progressive achievement of the goal set by the Union signing the ‘Commitment to Support 100% Sustainable Palm Oil in Europe by 2020’ in December 2020.
The three-year period from 2017 to 2019 saw the amount of RSPO-certified palm oil used in the food industry as a percentage of all palm oil used more than double, from 43% to 92%.
There has also been an increase in the number of Italian companies involved and in the number of licences using the RSPO trademark: from 27 in 2016 to 53 in 2019. RSPO membership has grown constantly and steadily: from 80 RSPO members in 2014 to 226 members as of September 2020.
More information can be found here:
https://www.oliodipalmasostenibile.it
Poland (Polish Coalition for Sustainable Palm Oil)
Description/Driver for action
The Polish Coalition for Sustainable Palm Oil (PCSPO) is an independent coalition of representatives of key industry companies, industry and non-governmental organisations, and certification bodies.
On 17 June 2019, a group of non-profit and non-governmental organisations, as well as multinational food and beverage companies, pledged to increase the uptake of sustainable palm oil in Poland. The twelve founding members of the PCSPO signed a declaration on the use of 100% sustainable palm oil used in the country by 2023. Since2021, the Coalition has grown and united 16 members, representing different backgrounds and sectors.
The PCSPO wants to take the lead in halting deforestation and further environmental degradation. To achieve its long-term objective, the coalition works together and takes into consideration views from various stakeholder groups, including certification bodies, non-governmental organisations, crop scientists, palm-oil based organisations and the government.
Commitments
The strategic goal of the PCSPO is to achieve a 100% sustainable palm oil level in Poland by 2023 at the latest.
An important mission of the PCSPO is also to take actions to increase knowledge and awareness about sustainable palm oil among consumers and entities operating in the Polish market.
Progress
According to a 2020 study, around 55% of palm oil used in the Polish market is certified. Numbers vary from sector to sector, led by the food industry, where 78% of used palm oil has an RSPO certificate.
In order to achieve its goal, the Coalition has laid the groundwork by developing a common road map, creating educational tools for companies, like case studies, practical workshops and Q&A regarding the most common misconceptions about palm oil, its impact on human health, and certified palm oil.
In 2021, the focus of the Coalition shifted towards consumers and employees, raising awareness of sustainable palm oil in the Polish market through informational campaigns and educational materials.
More information can be found here:
http://olejpalmowy.com
United Kingdom - UK Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative
Description/Driver for Action
The UK Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative (SPOI) performs a wide range of activities to engage and support the private sector in sourcing sustainable palm oil, through training, raising awareness and information sharing to help stakeholders learn about sourcing SPO. Additionally, a series of working groups are facilitated, one of which is focused on communications, predominantly on improving the messaging and narrative surrounding sustainable palm oil in order to create educational resources and drive awareness across the UK supply chain, from refiners to end consumers of sustainable palm oil.
A core part of SPOI is the UK Roundtable on Sourcing Sustainable Palm Oil (UK Roundtable), an industry alliance that aims to promote the uptake of sustainable palm oil in the UK across the supply chain, which offers a space for information sharing between members and support on progress, monitoring and reporting. An important role of SPOI is to act as a platform for engaging with other national initiatives, both consumer and producer countries, and their members.
The Roundtable was originally formed when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published the UK statement on sustainable palm oil in 2012, which brought together trade associations for palm oil-using sectors, the UK government, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Wildlife Fund to agree to work towards 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil by 2015. Following this, the Roundtable members agreed to align with the 2020 Amsterdam Declaration Commitment, working towards achieving 100% sustainable sourcing and increased traceability of palm oil by 2020 in Europe as well as other deforestation-free agricultural commodities, such as soya and cocoa.
Membership has now expanded to a wider range of organisations including the public sector, retailers, wholesalers, finance, the foodservice sector, manufacturers and refiners.
Commitments
UK SPOI will continue to work with all sectors to drive forward the development of an increasingly sustainable and resilient supply of palm oil to the UK. Whilst the goal of 100% CSPO remains a relevant target against which progress can easily be tracked using CSPO import data, the UK SPOI has built a platform upon which a far broader goal can be launched – one that encompasses the capacity of the UK industry to instigate positive change on a global level.
Progress
The UK Sustainable Palm Oil Initiative has produced an annual progress report each year since 2012. These reports can be found here:
https://www.efeca.com/our-work/resources/uk-sustainable-palm-oil-annual-progress-reports-aprs
More information can be found here:
https://www.efeca.com/uk-sourcing-sustainable-palm-oil-initiative