Thread by @orangulandtrust

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute While we really value the great work Chanee does, there are a number of points of misinformation in this video. It is undeniable that conventional palm oil has been catastrophic for forests and wildlife. It is undeniable that conventional palm oil has been catastrophic... 1/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... for forests and wildlife. These are some of the reasons why RSPO was set up and now prohibits deforestation, burning and the harming of rare, threatened or endangered species. Palm oil is not in everything but in about 50% of processed goods in the supermarket...2/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...We agree that palm oil should never be used as a primary feedstock for biofuels. The RSPO label was not created by manufacturers but by the membership of the RSPO which includes not only manufacturers and retailers, growers and traders, but also financial institutions....4/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... and environmental and social NGOs. Since 2018, the RSPO standard has been strengthened to prohibit deforestation not only of primary forest and areas with High Conservation Value, but now uses the High Carbon Stock Approach to determine no-go areas. It also prohibits ...5/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...all conversion of peat. It is not so that new development MUST mean the clearing of secondary forest, and indeed this is prohibited by the RSPO. With more than 14 million hectares of unforested land suitable for the expansion of sustainable palm oil in Borneo alone...6/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...it is quite reasonable to demand and expect that no further deforestation takes place for oil palm. There is no minimum for set aside in the RSPO simply for the reason that if a grower is growing in an area with no forest or HCV whatsoever (say replanting from rubber)...7/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... there is nothing to set aside. On the other hand, a grower who has say 50% forest or HCV is indeed required to set this aside and no development of any kind can take place.
There are 4 levels of certification, not three. Greenpalm stopped trading many years ago...8/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ..., and now Book and Claim is managed through RSPO Credits. While Book and Claim is the "weakest" as you say, it remains absolutely necessary to have this option in order to include smallholders (which make up 40% of global production) in the transformation to sustainable...9/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... palm oil, and who otherwise would not have access to the sustainable market. Furthermore, it is often the only supply chain available to manufacturers and retailers using small volumes of palm oil and/or certain derivatives. Purchase of credits provides the ... 10/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...smallholders who ARE producing palm oil sustainably the premium they deserve and need in order to achieve and maintain sustainable practices, even if their small volumes cannot be physically traced to the end user. As for the bit on double deforestation (which is very ...11/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...confusing!), it is the mill and its supply base that gets certified. If the landowners who are selling FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunches) to the company's mill are deforesting, then the certification and indeed the membership of the company can be suspended or terminated....12/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ...We certainly agree that stronger legislation is required to ensure all production of palm oil is truly sustainable. MSPO & ISPO are weaker than RSPO & slow to certify, but form a foundation upon which companies can then progress to become RSPO-certified and POIG-verified..13/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... We encourage MSPO, ISPO and other national initiatives to align their standards with RSPO to ensure NDPE (No Deforestation, No Peat Conversion and No Exploitation). The RSPO has been instrumental in incentivising the establishment of these national standards,...14/n

@RobinNature @griffjane @WildlingRocks @DrBirute ... but in the end has no control over what the governments decide to do. However even if such standards matched that of RSPO, we would trust the voluntary standard with its independent verification processes over a state standard lacking such independence. 15/15