Research Library

Opportunities and bottlenecks for upstream learning within RSPO certified palm oil value chains: A comparative analysis between Indonesia and Thailand

Published in the Journal of Rural Studies in August 2020, this study investigates if and how RSPO certification fosters upstream learning to improve farming practices.

To grip or to slip - Smallholder inclusion in sustainable palm oil certifications in Riau, Indonesia

This study examines the barriers that smallholders face in pursuing the regulatory process prior to the certification process and how they affect smallholder inclusion in sustainable palm oil initiatives.

Deforestation spillovers from oil palm sustainability certification

Published in Environmental Research Letters in March 2020, this study quantified forest loss and conservation spillovers from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification system in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan).

Sustainable palm oil or certified dispossession? NGOs within scalar struggles over the RSPO private governance standard

This paper examined the role of NGOs in the complex field of private standard-setting and implementation by the RSPO.

Comparative life cycle assessment of RSPO-certified and non-certified palm oil

This report, prepared by 2.0 LCA consultants, presents the executive summary of a detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) study of palm oil production comparing the environmental impact of RSPO certified sustainable palm oil with non-certified palm oil.

Companies committed to sustainable palm oil production have substantively stronger equity returns

This analysis by Climate Advisers was done to compare the financial performance of RSPO companies to non-RSPO companies.

Field evidence for positive certification outcomes on oil palm smallholder management practices in Colombia

This study is a farm-level assessment of certification programs in the oil palm sector by focusing on RSPO and Organic (IFOAM) certified smallholders in Magdalena, Colombia.

Organic and fair palm oil production - Assessment project

The overall objective of this study project was to clarify the extent to which organically certified palm oil helps ensure positive 'sustainability impacts' compared to palm oil that is produced without any certification or with RSPO certification.

Improve long-term biodiversity management and monitoring on certified oil palm plantations in Colombia by centralizing efforts at the sector level

Published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change in August 2019, this study sought to explore the challenges to effective biodiversity monitoring on oil palm plantations.

Peeling back the label - exploring sustainable palm oil ecolabelling and consumption in the United Kingdom

Published in Environmental Research Letters, this paper aimed at exploring the extent to which members of the general public are aware of palm oil, their perceptions about its environmental impact, and recognition and inclusion of RSPO ecolabelled products in household shopping compared to other widely known ecolabels.