Certified palm oil the only way forward for Malaysia
The 2018 conference for sustainable palm oil was held this month in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Organized by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, the prevailing topic was on the pending ban on palm oil for biofuels by the EU. Invited speakers included a wide range of stakeholders including Greenpeace, CIFOR, ISCC, FAO and industry representatives as well as local non-profits.
All in all, the conference was a lively affair, especially in the Question and Answer sessions that followed the plenary speeches. The direct engagements between non-profits and academicians with the audience proved to be a great way to get all voices heard, in particular the small holders of Malaysia. The overall conclusion that seemed to be shared by all was that certified palm oil under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme ( MSPO ) was the only way forward for the industry.
There were some notable presentations which are mentioned below.
Greenpeace Indonesia presented its trademark message to eliminate deforestation from the palm oil industry and mentioned that the majority of NDPE commitments have failed. Coincidentally, the group launched its latest campaign in the same week as IPOSC. Wilmar was the target of this latest campaign as some of its suppliers have been accused by Greenpeace of clearing peat forests in Indonesia. This made for a hard hitting message at the IPOSC.
ISCC spoke out against the EU targeting of palm oil in its biofuel policy and asked the industry in Malaysia to work with them to come up with counter arguments against the EU policy. Neste representative, Simo Honkanen, made a similar suggestion and further emphasized that the MSPO as a national policy, will be an effective argument for the continued use of palm oil as biofuel for Europe.
CIFOR presented its findings on deforestation in Borneo and asked whether the industry can expand without the further loss of forests. In the Q&A session that followed this presentation, a member of the audience asked whether CIFOR should come up with a better term than “deforestation” when the expansion of palm oil is legal and needed for developing countries.
Similar questions were asked by the East Malaysian Palm Oil Association ( EMPA ) who directed their questions at the WWF who had apparently accused their members of deforestation previously. The EMPA spokesperson suggested that the WWF should engage their members and offer solutions rather than going directly to the press.
Outside of the conference topics, the main concern among Malaysian growers was the shortage of Certification Bodies (CBs) to facilitate the certification process. As of the conference date, only some 20% of Malaysia’s 5.8 million hectares of palm oil operations have been certified under the MSPO. Smallholder groups made the call for a step in certification process to allow more time to comply with the MSPO standards as most of the small holders need extra time to implement the full conditions of MSPO certification.
Despite some tense moments as industry members and non-profits aired their opinions, the conference provided an invaluable chance for all stakeholders to hear and be heard. As the Malaysian industry presses on with the certification of all palm oil operations by 2020, it is transparent public engagements like these that will help to further solidify the credibility of the MSPO certification scheme as an inclusive one.
All presentations are available for download by clicking on this link.
The 2018 conference for sustainable palm oil was held this month in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Organized by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, the prevailing topic was on the pending ban on palm oil for biofuels by the EU. Invited speakers included a wide range of stakeholders including Greenpeace, CIFOR, ISCC, FAO and industry representatives as well as local non-profits.
All in all, the conference was a lively affair, especially in the Question and Answer sessions that followed the plenary speeches. The direct engagements between non-profits and academicians with the audience proved to be a great way to get all voices heard, in particular the small holders of Malaysia. The overall conclusion that seemed to be shared by all was that certified palm oil under the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme ( MSPO ) was the only way forward for the industry.
There were some notable presentations which are mentioned below.
Greenpeace Indonesia presented its trademark message to eliminate deforestation from the palm oil industry and mentioned that the majority of NDPE commitments have failed. Coincidentally, the group launched its latest campaign in the same week as IPOSC. Wilmar was the target of this latest campaign as some of its suppliers have been accused by Greenpeace of clearing peat forests in Indonesia. This made for a hard hitting message at the IPOSC.
ISCC spoke out against the EU targeting of palm oil in its biofuel policy and asked the industry in Malaysia to work with them to come up with counter arguments against the EU policy. Neste representative, Simo Honkanen, made a similar suggestion and further emphasized that the MSPO as a national policy, will be an effective argument for the continued use of palm oil as biofuel for Europe.
CIFOR presented its findings on deforestation in Borneo and asked whether the industry can expand without the further loss of forests. In the Q&A session that followed this presentation, a member of the audience asked whether CIFOR should come up with a better term than “deforestation” when the expansion of palm oil is legal and needed for developing countries.
Similar questions were asked by the East Malaysian Palm Oil Association ( EMPA ) who directed their questions at the WWF who had apparently accused their members of deforestation previously. The EMPA spokesperson suggested that the WWF should engage their members and offer solutions rather than going directly to the press.
Outside of the conference topics, the main concern among Malaysian growers was the shortage of Certification Bodies (CBs) to facilitate the certification process. As of the conference date, only some 20% of Malaysia’s 5.8 million hectares of palm oil operations have been certified under the MSPO. Smallholder groups made the call for a step in certification process to allow more time to comply with the MSPO standards as most of the small holders need extra time to implement the full conditions of MSPO certification.
Despite some tense moments as industry members and non-profits aired their opinions, the conference provided an invaluable chance for all stakeholders to hear and be heard. As the Malaysian industry presses on with the certification of all palm oil operations by 2020, it is transparent public engagements like these that will help to further solidify the credibility of the MSPO certification scheme as an inclusive one.
All presentations are available for download by clicking on this link.