Aidenvironment, an Amsterdam-based green group, could become the latest to cut ties with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) over what it calls poor handling of a complaint against major palm producer IOI Group. RSPO — a body of palm producers, consumer companies, and activist groups — has long faced criticism for weak enforcement standards. Between 1990 and 2010, up to 3.5 million hectares of forests were cut down for palm oil plantations in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Palm oil plantations operating in remote rainforests have come under unprecedented scrutiny the past few years, not only from the mounting influence of activists, but from their customers as well. Certification of environmentally sound behavior is required by some major palm oil buyers in the West, including major food and candy makers such as Nestle, Unilever, Mars and Kellogg.

Source: The Edge Markets November 07, 2016 10:55 UTC