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WWF to unveil new Palm Oil Scorecard at industry meet

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Media Advisory & Invitation to Press Briefing 

RSPO RT11 – The11th Annual Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil Medan, Indonesia 11-14 November 2013

Palm oil is a major global commodity—a highly versatile vegetable oil derived from very productive oil palm trees grown only in the tropics.  And it is here to stay. Consumption is increasing globally and is set to grow from a record 58 million tonnes in 2013 to at least 77 million tonnes in 2050.

Clearing tropical forests for oil palm production can be very damaging to wildlife, communities and the wider environment—not least because deforestation makes a major contribution to greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity.

But palm oil itself is not the issue—the problem is how and where palm oil is produced. The industry does not have to grow at the expense of the environment. At the heart of the RSPO is a standard that requires members not to clear primary forest or any land that is important for wildlife and communities. In 2013, 15 per cent of global palm oil production is certified to the RSPO standard—but unfortunately only half of that has been purchased.

Many RSPO members that buy palm oil have set themselves ambitious targets for procuring only 100% CSPO by 2015 or sooner.  But how are these companies really performing in advance of this deadline?  Will they make this target and be able to assure their customers that the palm oil they are using is 100% sustainable?

WWF’s Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2013 measures the performance of 140 major retailers and consumer goods manufacturers against several areas which show whether or not these companies are acting responsibly:

  • Are they an active member of the RSPO
  • Do they have a public commitment to RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil
  • Have they disclosed how much palm oil they use
  • How much of the palm oil they source is RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil
  • Do they have a policy to require their palm oil suppliers to have GHG reduction emissions policies

MEDIA BRIEFING – 12 November 2013

Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2013

WHAT: WWF experts will brief you on:

  • Ø  Findings from the Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2013
  • Ø  WWF recommendations on key issues addressed in the Scorecard

WHEN:  12  November, 15:00 JMT

WHERE: RSPO RT11, Medan

HOW: Attend at the above location

WHO: WWF Spokespersons

Adam Harrison

Adam Harrison is WWF International’s representative on the Executive Board of the RSPO and the lead for WWF on palm oil issues. Based in Scotland, he has been working for WWF Scotland for the last 12 years on a range of rural, agriculture and food based policy areas.  For the last 7 years that has focused on working with UK-based companies using both palm oil and soya lobbying them to source these commodities sustainably. Before working for WWF in the UK he was based overseas from the late 1980s working in natural resources management and development in Nepal, Cameroon and Namibia.

Irwan Gunawan

For further information:

As of November 12, 15:00 JMT, the WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2013 can be downloaded at wwf.panda.org/palmoilscorecard/2013

Carrie Svingen, WWF International: csvingen@wwf.panda.org or +49 (0) 151 188 548 33

Annisa Sitawardhani Ruzuar, WWF Indonesia: asruzuar@wwf.or.id or +62 (0) 81320044343

About WWF

WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries.  WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

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