The first initiative under the partnership is a joint study with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to examine both voluntary international standards used by RSPO and mandatory national standards of ISPO, the RSPO office announced in Jakarta on Saturday.

"This is the response of Indonesia as the world's largest palm oil producer to the global concern over the need to ensure growth, equity, improved livelihoods and environmental integrity in the palm oil sector," said Rosediana Suharto, the executive chairman of the ISPO Commission.

The RSPO-ISPO joint study itself was initiated also as part of the Sustainable Palm Oil (SPO) Initiative launched by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, UNDP and members of the private sector, with the objective of promoting sustainable palm oil production and operation in Indonesia, RSPO Secretary General Darrel Webber noted.

One of the key components of the SPO Initiative is the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform, where stakeholders such as RSPO and ISPO can convene and discuss how to best work together to achieve sustainable palm oil in Indonesia," Webber said.

"RSPO was set up in 2004 as a multi-stakeholder forum of producers, consumers, retailers and financiers to develop sustainable palm oil, while ISPO was launched in 2012 by the Indonesian government.

While certification under RSPO is voluntary, yet recognized by the international market, ISPO is mandatory for all palm oil companies in Indonesia but lacks credibility due to the non-involvement of environmental NGOs and companies in the audit process.

Webber hoped that the study would clarify the disparities and identify the synergies between the two certification schemes to facilitate ease of certification, while maintaining the robustness and rigor of the audit process. (vin)

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