ISPO Reaffirms its Reputation in Europe
INDONESIA has achieved positive result in its effort to develop sustainable palm oil, despite the stigma associated with the products by some European countries.
INDONESIA has achieved positive result in its effort to develop sustainable palm oil, despite the stigma associated with the products by some European countries. Some communities in Europe have reaffirmed their commitment to use sustainable palm oil products. One thing indicates the positive response is the acceptance of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) system by European communities. “European Sustainable Palm Oil (ESPO) has accepted ISPO as a certification for sustainable palm oil businesses,” Azis Hidayat, ISPO Commission said at the 14th Indonesian Palm Oil Conference di Nusa Dua, Bali, (2/11/2018). ISPO largely entails certification of legal compliance for palm oil plantations and mills. The system is a policy adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture on behalf of the Indonesian Government. The aim is to improve the competitiveness of the Indonesian Palm Oil in the global market and to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and draw attention to environmental issues. Indonesia is forcing its effort to promote ISPO many countries, including in Europe. However, the European Union (EU) make it mandatory for palm oil exporters to apply Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) labels on their CPO products. ISPO is currently accepted in Europe. According to Azis ISPO-certified land area in Indonesia in 2017 has reached 2.1 juta million hectares. Meanwhile, RSPO-certified land area has reached 2.51 million hectares. This is satisfactory compared to Malaysia which has 518,793 hectares land that are certified by Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). However, the 2.51 million hectares land is relatively small compared to the total land pf 14 million hectares. Moreover, the number of published certificates is also relatively small. According to Azis as of October 2018 the total entities that has proposed for the certification only reached 675 unit. They are 663 companies, seven plasma farmers, and five smallholders. “To the present, we have received 545 audit reports, 508 have been verified and 413 certified. It includes 407 companies, three plasma farmers, and three smallholders,” Azis said. Not long ago, European Palm Oil Conference in Madrid, Spain, reaffirmed European Palm Oil Association commitment to use sustainable palm oil products and called for action to encourage sustainable practices. It proves that ISPO is line with European to encourage sustainable palm oil. ***
