Research Library

On the profitability of sustainability certification: An analysis among Indonesian palm oil smallholders.

This research was conducted to determine the extent and ways in which RSPO certification is profitable for Indonesian palm oil smallholders. It also included an analysis on profitability if smallholders had to pay certification costs by themselves, and the premium fee required in making certification profitable for smallholders.

Sustainability standards and sustainable development – synergies and trade-offs of transnational governance.

This study, from the University of Bonn in Germany, analyses the major expected benefits that smallholder certification generates and the extent in which there are trade-offs between economic and environmental sustainability.

Correlating economic and financial viability with sustainability for palm oil plantations.

This research, commissioned by RSPO, was done to identify and quantify the key economic and operational indicators that will demonstrate relative profitability of RSPO-certified plantations.

Promoting landscape heterogeneity to improve the biodiversity benefits of certified palm oil production: Evidence from Peninsular Malaysia.

This study was done to determine if RSPO-certified plantations are more biodiversity-friendly compared to non-certified planted areas (including large scale plantations and smallholdings).

Sustainability certification and palm oil smallholders’ livelihood: A comparison between scheme smallholders and independent smallholders in Indonesia.

The research, done in Indonesia, was done to conceptually understand the relationship between certification and the livelihood of smallholders.

The impacts of RSPO on the livelihood of smallholders: Case studies in East Malaysia, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Malaysia.

This study was done to examine the economic, environmental and social impacts of RSPO adoptions on independent smallholders’ livelihoods.

Global sustainability standards and food security: Exploring unintended effects of voluntary certification in palm oil.

Case study to explore the unnoticed effects of voluntary palm oil certification in Indonesia and Ghana, and identify their implication on local and national food provision.

Impact of RSPO certification to economic, environmental and social aspects of Tanjung Sehati Smallholder Association's oil palm plantations.

This research, as commissioned by RSPO, was aimed at determining the ways in which certification process of smallholders in Tanjung Sehati GAPOKTAN took place, and the economic, environmental and social impacts of certification on them.

Profitability and sustainability in palm oil production. Analysis of incremental financial costs and benefits of RSPO compliance.

This study, conducted by WWF, analyses the costs and benefits of integrating the RSPO Principle and Criteria into palm oil production.