Certification, labelling and traceability of palm oil: can we build confidence from trustworthy standards?

Abstract

The present article is aimed at presenting various types of certification standards which are presently – or could be – applied to the production of palm oil. Doing so, it provides an overview of the existing mechanisms under way both at the European and global level and it addresses the controversial issue of reliance and accuracy of certification standards. The RSPO certification scheme provides an interesting example of such controversies. The case of palm oil reflects the recurring issue of mandatory vs . voluntary standards and the underlying question of the respective role of public vs . private stakeholders in the designing and further implementation of such standards. The high number of standards, appellations or labels creates some – understandable – confusion amongst consumers and deciders and this point is of paramount importance if confidence is on the agenda. The authors conclude on the urgent need for collaborative and multidisciplinary research in order to provide certification standards with science-based evidence and thus strengthen their reliability. The success of a certification scheme depends also greatly on the ability of stakeholders to gain a premium price to offset the incurred costs.