After its third-party auditors came under fire last week for corruption and ignoring deforestation, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a sustainable palm oil plantation certifier, supported a resolution to improve the quality and supervision of the plantation assessments.
The resolution was in response to Environmental Investigation Agency charges, published in a report titled, “Who Watches the Watchmen?” last week. The EIA said its investigation showed that third-party auditors working on behalf of the RSPO to verify the sustainability of palm oil plantations often ignored abuses and falsified paperwork.
By ignoring their responsibilities, auditors allowed palm oil plantation owners to clear-cut forests, infringe on the property rights of indigenous peoples, destroy wildlife habitats and force workers to toil under harsh working conditions.
Although the EIA welcomed the resolution, it remains skeptical that the facts on the ground will change.
“It is reassuring that most RSPO members have accepted the evidence presented in our report and have voted for this resolution,” said EIA Forest Campaigner Tomasz Johnson in a statement. “But the extent to which this resolves the problems we have identified will only be clear when the recommendations are implemented.”
The RSPO consists of 500 members that are responsible for almost half of the world’s palm oil production. About 10 percent of the palm oil produced worldwide is certified to RSPO standards, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.
