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| Sustainable Agriculture |
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Karlijn van Lierop | lierop@mvo.nl
Telephone +31(0) 70 319 51 65
Fax +31 (0) 70 319 51 96
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Juli 6, 2012
61 RSPO Trademark licenses in 13 countries issued to date
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil, introduced its Trademark to the market a year ago. To date, 61 RSPO Trademark licenses across 13 countries have been issued.
RSPO certification at plantation level and the Trademark on the end product completes the loop from upstream to downstream within the supply chain and will reflect that sustainable oil palm cultivation does not contribute to the sustained destruction of valuable tropical forests or damage the interests of people in the regions where the palms are grown. Producers of household products such as margarine, cookies, chocolate, soap and cosmetics are able to clearly show their commitment to sustainable palm oil through the use of this Trademark.
RSPO members are conscious that growing global demand creates risks for the protection of natural habitats and local communities in producing countries. For this reason they are actively engaged in increasing the sustainability of palm oil production worldwide. The RSPO Trademark brings greater visibility to the efforts of the RSPO supply chain members in consumer markets.
RSPO aims to further increase the adoption of the RSPO Trademark. Darrel Webber, Secretary General of the RSPO: “The entire sustainable palm oil supply chain benefits tremendously from the adoption of the RSPO Trademark as the increase in uptake of CSPO naturally leads to a higher demand for CSPO. We see the Trademark as the ultimate vehicle to bring the subject of sustainable palm oil closer to consumers, boost demand of CSPO and encourage market uptake.”
The first products with the Trademark arrived at the stores during the first year of the Trademark’s existence. This step marks the entry of the RSPO Trademark in the everyday life of many consumers around the globe as for the first time they will be able to consciously choose products which contain CSPO.
More information can be found in the RSPO Press Release. 
GMP+ International and RTRS intend to co-operate closely
GMP+ International and RTRS agreed about the main points of co-operation regarding the certification of the supply chain of responsible soy. The coming months, the agreement will be worked out in detail. The aim is to take final decisions next September. This agreement will benefit both organizations and the stakeholders in the supply chain.
RTRS will get linked to an already internationally operating GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance scheme with over 11,800 certified companies. This will make it more easy to distribute RTRS soy to final consumers through a controlled supply chain. GMP+ International will benefit by getting linked to an international scheme based on multi-stakeholders support. This means GMP+ International will not have to start from scratch regarding sustainability. Most important, the feed companies in the supply chain will benefit, because it will reduce cost and provides a one stop shop – multiple certification possibility.
Next months, both involved organizations will finalize the co-operation agreement and the GMP+ chain of custody standard for RTRS soy distribution. For GMP+ International, this is the first step to integrate sustainability in the GMP+ certification scheme. It intends to go ahead by adding other sustainable or responsible soy and other feed ingredients, when there is need in the market for it.
RTRS (Round Table Responsible Soy association) manages an international certification scheme regarding the responsible production of soy beans. One of the main issues addressed in this scheme is avoidance of irresponsible expansion of soy in High Conservation Value Areas and particularly biomes like Cerrado, Amazons, Chaco, Yungas, etc.. It also covers the chain of custody through which responsible soy must be distributed to the final users. The first 400,000 tons of RTRS soy are already produced and sold into the feed & food market.
GMP+ International manages the international GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance scheme with over 11,800 participants in 65 countries. GMP+ International extends the scope of the GMP+ certification scheme to sustainability aspects of feed ingredients and feed products. The first extension in this regard is a standard for feed companies in the supply chain following the growers of responsible soy according RTRS criteria. Currently, almost all these companies are already GMP+ certified. The combination will avoid duplication of certification cost and burden.
(Source: Press release GMP+ International June the 12th)
KPMG: Soy farmer investment in sustainability is viable
A KPMG study on profitability and return on investment of measures promoting responsible soy farming shows that taking such measures is most certainly worthwhile. The study by KPMG shows that farmers get compensated for their investments in responsible soy farming and can expect a ROI within two to three years. IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative, together with World Wild Life Fund, FMO and IFC commissioned a study to investigate the Business Case for Soy farmers in Latin America to become RTRS compliant. 
According to the researchers, the RTRS system proofs to be economic viable, and scalable to mainstream. This is good news for the environment and the welfare of soy producers in Latin America. And it is important for the soy industry since the demand for RTRS soy is expected to grow in the coming years, following several public 100% RTRS sourcing commitments by important players in the European soy industry.
For more information you may check the press release and the full KPMG report.
Check out http://www.idhsustainabletrade.com/soy for more information on how IDH is planning to make responsible soy farming mainstream.
New WWF brochure with soy and palm oil case study
WWF has a long history of strategically engaging the private sector to achieve conservation goals. It has now launched a publication with a collection of case studies that illustrate how strategic engagement of commodity supply chains, from producers to brands and retailers, can create conservation impacts where they matter most. Case studies are included for the major commodities that WWF is involved in, including palm oil, soy, sugarcane.
WWF is stating that commodity production, such as timber, palm oil or soy, poses serious threats to biodiversity, direct through destructions of valuable habitats, or indirectly due to emission of greenhouse gasses.
WWF finds that there is enormous potential to improve commodity production. Better commodity production can help produce more with a smaller footprint on our natural resources and thus contribute to conservation of important ecosystems and to poverty alleviation.
The publication is available for external audiences on panda.org:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/businesses/transforming_
markets/solutions/methodology/better_production_for_a_living_planet/
The individual case study on soy is available in web-friendly version:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/businesses/transforming_
markets/solutions/methodology/multi_stakeholders/soy/
The individual case study on palm oil is available in web-friendly version:
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/businesses/transforming_
markets/solutions/methodology/multi_stakeholders/palm_oil/
RSPO RT10 on 31 October and 1 November
 The 10th Annual Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT10) of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will be held on 31 October and 1 November in Resorts World in Singapore. For more information, you may log on to www.rt10.rspo.org, where information on exhibition and sponsorship details has been updated. Participants are encouraged to register soon and book accommodation rooms likewise, since October and November are known to be peak months for visitors to Singapore (you may log on to http://www.rt10.rspo.org/c/venue-accommodation/ to book your rooms). For any enquiry, you may contact the RSPO organisation at rt@rspo.org.
EC underlines importance of sustainable agriculture
The European Commission organised a joint high-level event at the Rio Summit of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, outlining the important role that sustainable agricultural practices and development policies can play to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.
"About 500 million smallholdings of less than 2 hectares provide a living and food for 2 billion people in Asia and in Africa. Imagine what even a small gain of productivity multiplied by half a billion could mean for food security at global level. Increasing agricultural productivity needs long term commitments, followed steadily by national governments, private sector as well as international donors. Sustainable agriculture is not a luxury but a necessity. It concerns us all, whether we live in Europe, or on any other place on Earth", stated Dacian Ciolos, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in the opening of the event.
"Agriculture and food security are pivotal in driving growth. There is an obvious link between our natural resource base and lifting people out of poverty. Addressing poverty is about access to safe drinking water, sufficient, healthy and nutritious food, sustainable energy and a safe and healthy environment. The green economy cannot take off unless crucial resources such as water, energy and land are well managed and sustainable economic activity in these areas is allowed to prosper. That is why sustainable agriculture is a top priority in the European Union's Agenda for Change", underlined Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development in his key note speech.
The event provided an opportunity for prominent speakers, from Brazil to the African Union, to share and debate experiences on policies to promote sustainable agriculture and development. Together with the two EU Commissioners, speakers included Rhoda Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union, Pepe Vargas, Brazilian Ministry of Agrarian Development, Elisabeth Atangana, President of the Pan-African Farmers' Forum (PAFFO) and Andre Leu, President International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Read the full speech of the EU Commissioner Ciolos here: SPEECH/12/480 ; Read the full speech of Commissioner Piebalgs here: SPEECH/12/476 ;
ABIOVE: Lowest deforestation rate in Amazon Biome in 23 years
The Brazilian government recently announced two important numbers that reflect a significant improvement in its governance system: the lowest deforestation rate in the Amazon Biome in 23 years, and the indication that 81.2% of the Amazon Forest is preserved. These announcements, made by President Dilma Rousseff and by Minister of the Environment Izabella Teixeira, were accompanied by reassuring explanations.
INPE (National Space Research Institute), through its PRODES System, consolidates the information collected over the period of one year by satellites capable of detecting all deforested areas. For the period between August 2010 and July 2011, the total deforested area was 6,418 square kilometers (2,478 square miles). According to INPE, the numbers published by PRODES are very precise and reliable. The deforestation rate recently informed by the government is the lowest since INPE began making measurements in 1988 (see: http://www.inpe.br/noticias/noticia.php?Cod_Noticia=2938).
Minister Teixeira declared that preservation of 81.2% of the Amazon Forest and the successive falls in deforestation since 2005 puts Brazil very close to complying with the goals of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. “We have reduced emissions from deforestation by 67.14%”, she said. Brazil’s commitment, established in the National Plan on Climate Changes, is 80% by 2020 and, according to the Minister, the tendency for a continued fall in deforestation is being maintained.
This information corroborates what ABIOVE (Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industries Association) – the agribusiness entity that coordinates the Soy Moratorium instituted in 2006 – has been saying: there has been a significant improvement in the government’s governance system over the last five years, which should guarantee application of the new Forest Code. This governance system includes rapid identification of deforestation and forest fires through the use of satellite images that generate incontrovertible evidence; identification of the property owners through CAR, the Rural Environmental Registration; legislation regulating punishments (a decree establishes fines and embargoes); inspections coordinated by IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental & Renewable Natural Resources Institute), the Federal Police, the Highway Police and the National Force; and an increase in conservation units under state control, such as national parks and indigenous reserves.
The tools necessary to ensure compliance with Brazil’s environmental legislation – one of the strictest in the world – are working. The Soy Moratorium Group will put in place the Rural Environmental Registration – CAR in the Amazone Biome. This document brings legal security to the rural properties. To obtain CAR registration, the rural property must present a map showing its land use and occupation, indicating areas of Legal Reserve, APP (Areas of Permanent Preservation), water resources and productive areas. The environmental entity also requires regularization of all documents pertaining to the rural property before giving its approval. Once rural properties have CAR, the government will have the mapping of all Brazil’s territory.
Improvement of the government’s governance system comes with an improvement in the rural producers’ awareness of the importance of sustainability. There is an awareness that it is possible to reconcile food production with environmental conservation. According to ABIOVE, Brazil has one of the largest and most sustainable agricultural productions on the planet. Ten percent of Brazil’s territory is taken up with domestic agriculture, and 61% is covered by native vegetation.
ABIOVE states that countries such as Brazil that render environmental services to the world should be compensated by the historically polluting countries. Developed nations, with 20% of the global population, are responsible for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is sometimes referred to as the Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities.
Small oil palm farmers launch sustainability campaign
Small oil palm farmers in Malaysia have launched a new campaign, the Human Faces of Palm Oil, to inform consumers, policymakers and stakeholders how they are practicing sustainable development in local villages and communities across Malaysia. The new campaign features testimonials of Malaysian small oil palm farmers and the vital role that palm oil has played in improving their lives where more than 300,000 small farmers throughout the country depend on palm oil for income and social benefits such as healthcare, education and infrastructure development.
The palm oil industry has been very successful at reducing poverty in Malaysia, contributing more than RM 83 billion (USD 26 billion) to Malaysia's Gross National Income, while more than 40 per cent of land under oil palm is cultivated by small farmers, reflecting the important role these producers play in the sustainable development of Malaysia and the fight against poverty. Human Faces of Palm Oil is an international campaign to bring the story of Malaysia’s palm oil small farmers and their prosperity to stakeholders throughout the world. A joint project by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), National Association of Smallholders (NASH) and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA), Human Faces of Palm Oil provides firsthand accounts from palm oil small farmers throughout the country who have benefitted economically and socially from oil palm cultivation.
For more information about Human Faces of Palm Oil, visit www.facesofpalmoil.org. 
Nidera presents 2nd annual Corporate Responsibility Report
Nidera has taken concrete steps in materializing “a responsible conduct oriented towards sustainable development”. With its recently presented 2nd annual Corporate Responsibility Report, the company aims to provide all stakeholders, at the same time, with useful and structured information and perspective on Nidera. Therefore, the report presents information on Nidera’s business and on those concrete efforts on social and environmental performance. In addition, it provides information on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives conducted.
In developing the Report, the company followed the internationally recognized guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This standard requires companies to report on the basis of indicators that apply to business activities as a whole and to the Company’s actions in relation to (among others) its employee s, clients, value chain, environment and community. The Report, prepared for the period from October 1, 2010 until September 30, 2011 (Fiscal Year 11), presents descriptive information on Nidera’s global business though quantitative information is limited to the activities in the Netherlands and Argentina. It is structured by following those pillars on which the company’s CSR Framework, NIDERA VALUES, is build.
Publishing as such, while following the GRI guidelines, provides the opportunity of informing on Nidera’s commitments to its stakeholders, sharing the steps taken and reflecting on future challenges. At the same time, the company recognizes that there is still much work to be done and that the road to sustainable development is long, complex and full of challenges.
Ricardo Lopez Mayorga CEO of Nidera, highlights some of the future challenges within the ‘CEO’s message’. "For the coming years, we have the challenging mission of continuing integrating our company-wide CSR approach within our business and fully engaging our employees towards sustainable development. We also need to create awareness among business partners and develop supply chain engagement. We want to be ahead of sustainable agricultural developments and trends, in order to create the best opportunities for materializing our commitments. In addition, we will continue strengthening relationships with our communities and enhancing our communication with stakeholders. "To download a copy of the Report, you may navigate to the “Our Company” section on this website, then go to “Annual CSR Report” or click link.
Carrefour supports Cargill smallholder production of RSPO certified sustainable palm oil
Carrefour recently presented 165 million Indonesian rupiah (about 14.000 euros) of premiums to smallholder farmers from PT Hindoli, Cargill’s RSPO certified oil palm plantation in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The premiums, from the purchase of RSPO GreenPalm Certificates, affirm Carrefour’s commitment to sustainable business practices.
Carrefour has a target to purchase its entire palm oil supply through sustainable sources by 2015. Since 2010, Carrefour has been purchasing RSPO-certified palm oil for all of its products that are manufactured in Europe. In 2011, as part of fulfilling its target, Carrefour purchased 9,000 RSPO GreenPalm Cargill Smallholders’ Scheme Certificates. A total amount of US$18,090 (Approximately IDR 165.2 million) will be paid directly to the PT Hindoli smallholders. The premiums presentation ceremony, which was held on 26 June at Sintesa Peninsula Hotel in Palembang, was attended by representatives from Carrefour and Cargill, as well as Hindoli palm oil smallholders.
“Carrefour believes that Cargill’s partnership with the palm oil smallholders has helped them to increase their yields, improve their incomes and raise their standards of living. This is one of the reasons why we have chosen to partner with Cargill. In line with our business values, our collaboration with Cargill’s PT Hindoli plantation will not only be beneficial to the palm o il industry by promoting the use of sustainable palm oil, but it will also bring about a positive contribution to the economic development of Indonesia, as well as to the welfare of the people”, said Adji Srihandoyo, Corporate Affairs Director, PT Carrefour, Indonesia.
“Thanks to our partnership with Carrefour, the premiums the smallholders receive today will contribute to the well-being of the farmers and the management of the smallholder cooperatives, better safety equipment as well as the smallholders’ ability to continue their sustainable practices. Sustainability is key not just for the palm oil sector, but for all of agriculture, particularly in Indonesia. We are proud to lead the move to sustainability, with our smallholders being great role models in demonstrating Cargill’s sustainable business practices”, said Anthony Yeow, President Director, PT Hindoli.
In line with its support to the development of sustainable palm oil in Indonesia, Carrefour also announced that it is lending support to 250 households of palm oil smallholders in Ukui Sub-district, Pelalawan, Riau, to obtain RSPO certification. The initiative, which was announced on 2 May 2012, will make the smallholders to be the first independent group of RSPO-certified smallholders in Indonesia.
This year, Carrefour Indonesia will also be launching its EcoPlanet cooking oil, the first product derived from palm oil plantations in line with international standards on sustainable and environmental-friendly management. The palm oil used in every EcoPlanet product is sourced according to the standards outlined by the RSPO. By buying Carrefour’s EcoPlanet cooking oil, consumers will be supporting responsible consumption and contributing to the long-term development of the palm oil industry in Indonesia.
Click here for the press release.
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