Together with RSPO and the European Palm Oil Alliance, we hosted a virtual Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue (SPOD). Hugo Schally, DG Environment of the European Commission opened the event by addressing the legislative push to protect our forests, with other key stakeholders’ representatives emphasizing the need for a smart mix of measures from all stakeholders together to continue making a difference in palm oil as well as other commodities.
Watch the recap below to find out what other topics were addressed and the highlights.
Interested in more? The full playlist will provide you all sessions. You can hear Sebastian Lesch of BMZ, Tan Sri Yusof Basiron of CPOPC, Mareike Felix of Aldi South, and Perrine Fournier of Fern discuss how this new European legislation will impact stakeholders involved in the palm oil supply chain. Daan Wensing, Director Landscapes at IDH, reviewed the progress made so far towards Europe’s target for 100% sustainable palm oil. Or find out about creating awareness among consumers in the session ‘Changing the trends in consumer behavior’, in which Olivier Charrier of Ferrero, Dior DeCupper of Upfield and Daniel Salter from Tesco shared their opinions and actions. And much more.
Watch the full event through our playlist here
IDH Palm oil work
For years, IDH has been supporting the production of traceable and sustainable palm oil, and today we are more than 30 colleagues working on this commodity. Since 2015, IDH is focussing on the European palm oil consuming markets. We monitor uptake (our latest data showing that the European market imported 86% sustainable palm oil), and work on policy frameworks through support of the National Initiatives with EPOA and the Verified Sourcing Area approach to strengthen sustainable supply chains. In Brussels, we will continue to promote regulatory and non-regulatory approaches that aim to make a positive impact on the ground. In 2019, IDH has also started working on the Indian consuming market. There, we convene stakeholders, monitor uptake and work on policy, as we do on the European market. Similarly, from 2021 onwards, we will start working in China, one of the major palm oil consumer countries in the world.
Linking markets to responsible production in landscapes
At IDH, we link the market work to responsible production in landscapes in Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Colombia. In Colombia, we just signed a €1.2 million co-financing agreement with Fedepalma and Cenipalma, aiming to reach over 1500 producers (82% of them small producers). In Nigeria and Malaysia (Sabah), we also focus on improving smallholder livelihoods. In Indonesia, IDH is active in Aceh, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Papua and West Papua to drive sustainable economic development at a jurisdictional level with a focus on production, protection and inclusion.
Landscape finance
As part of the strategy to scale up investments in landscape approaches, IDH supports blended finance funds and manages related technical assistance facilities. An interesting development for example is the &Green Fund 10-year loan of USD $30 million to Indonesian oil palm company PT Dharma Satya Nusantara Tbk (DSNG), who has most of its plantations in East Kalimantan. To enable more efficient sourcing from producing areas and scale up investments in these areas, the development of the Verified Sourcing Areas approach also continues full throttle.
Click here to find out more about IDH palm oil work