Certifying sustainability in oil palm cultivation

Publication date: 19/03/2018
Extent: 16 pages

Contributions by: Marcel Djama, CIRAD and MOISA, University of Montpellier, France and Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Chapter synopsis: In recent years, transnational private regulations, aimed at implementing sustainable development principles, have emerged across several commodity sectors. To address the growing environmental and social concerns raised by oil palm expansion, the sector has adopted voluntary sustainability standards led by industry and civil society, as well as national standards and regulations implemented by the main producing countries. This chapter presents these sustainability initiatives as well as addresses some important limitations on them, due to the increasing complexity of the regulatory framework, the market segmentation associated with a growing demand for non-certified palm oil from emerging countries and the unresolved issues of smallholders’ inclusion in certification. The chapter suggests a way forward for sustainability certification, which includes strengthening global cooperation and including smallholders in the process, and looks ahead to future research in this area.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0018.25