RSPO Credits explained:
The book & claim supply chain model for buyers and sellers
Buyers
Your contribution
If you wish to contribute to a more sustainable palm oil market because you and you customers are worried about the negative side effects of palm oil production, trading in RSPO Credits is a good place to start. Each RSPO Credit amounts to one tonne of certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil that is certified against the RSPO Principles and Criteria by independent accredited certification bodies. This means that with each credit you buy, you are actively supporting sustainable production around the world. Credits furthermore allow you to invest in the sustainable market via the online trading platform PalmTrace anywhere, anytime and to directly and immediately claim this sustainable investment on your products.
Why start with credits?
The purchasing of credits is an important first step towards worldwide sustainable palm oil production because it contributes to creating a critical high demand for sustainable palm oil products in the global market. This growing demand in turn allows for increased investment in making the palm oil supply chain more traceable, transparent and sustainable overall. This investment is desired and much needed, as keeping sustainably produced palm oil physically separated throughout the global supply chain can be complicated due to the chain’s complex characteristics. As a consequence, continuous improvement is needed in order to create more availability and economic accessibility of sustainable segregated palm oil for a wide array of buyers, and for all of the different palm oil products they desire. The purchasing of credits can help accelerate this investment and, in turn, the market transformation. With buying credits, you are contributing to the production of a critical mass of sustainable palm oil products that will help tip the scale towards fully traceable, certified sustainable palm oil products that are economically viable for a great variety of buyers. Additionally, the credit market creates the opportunity for all producers (including independent smallholders) to earn premiums for their sustainability efforts, regardless of their location or size. This makes the credit market sustainable ánd inclusive.
Sellers
As a seller, you may find yourself in a position whereby you have completed the RSPO certification process (congratulations), but are yet to gain access to a certified buyer. In this case, you can sell your certified volume as credits. Regardless of your company’s size or location, you are always able to sell your credits online on the PalmTrace platform, as soon as you are registered and have certified volume available. This makes it easy to gain a premium for your sustainability efforts, that you can then re-invest in your company.
By selling certified sustainable palm (kernel) oil products through RSPO Credits, you are contributing to the possibility for buyers to offset their palm (kernel) oil usage. In the long term, these efforts will help to transform the palm oil and palm kernel oil market into a more social just and environmental sustainable place. The premium you receive for your sustainability efforts is a viable business opportunity. But it is also much more than that: the reward you deserve for contributing to this market transformation.
