Standards & schemes
RSPO
In brief
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certifies palm oil production against its Principles & Criteria (2024 edition), covering deforestation-free production (with a cut-off date), peatland protection, labour conditions, smallholder inclusion and land rights including free, prior and informed consent. Membership is required of all supply-chain actors making RSPO claims, and certification is performed by accredited third-party bodies with public audit reports. Four supply-chain models define the claim landscape: identity preserved, segregated, mass-balance and RSPO Credits (book-and-claim) — on-pack claims must state the model, since "contains certified sustainable palm oil" means something materially different under segregation versus mass-balance. RSPO's grievance mechanism and its resolution of member complaints are public, an accountability feature few commodity schemes match. RSPO membership carries obligations beyond certification: members must submit annual communications of progress, and the grievance system has suspended members and certificates in response to complaints. Its smallholder and jurisdictional approaches extend certification beyond industrial plantations. Certification supports a claim only within the certified scope and the declared supply-chain model; it does not by itself prove outcomes or validate wording beyond that scope.
Conditional relationships
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Recognition & legal context
No reviewed law references are published.
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