PALMOILMAGAZINE, KUALA LUMPUR – The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s Assurance Standing Committee (RSPO ASC) remains committed to strengthening the RSPO assurance system by enhancing its credibility and effectiveness. Over the past semester, the ASC held three meetings and an assurance forum focused on key improvements.
According to Palmoilmagazine.com, quoting RSPO’s official statement on October 18, 2024, one major topic discussed was the potential separation of commercial connections between certification bodies (CBs) and the professionals conducting audits (auditees). Research indicated that direct connections between CBs and auditees could compromise the credibility of RSPO’s assurance system.
New Foresight was appointed to study the feasibility of separating these connections. During the ASC’s quarterly meeting in May 2024, stakeholders expressed doubts about separation as the best solution. However, if implemented, a central funding model—allocating funds directly to CBs—was identified as the most effective approach.
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The RSPO Labour Auditing Guidance (LAG), currently voluntary, completed its test phase in May 2024. An independent review of LAG will now assess any gaps and evaluate its feasibility as a mandatory standard. Proforest, serving as the consultant, will interview stakeholders and analyze the document, with a final report due in October 2024. The RSPO Board of Governors will then review recommendations to decide whether to maintain or mandate LAG’s voluntary status.
In June 2024, the ASC approved modifications to the RSPO Auditor Code of Ethics. The revisions aim to clarify expectations for auditors responsible for assessing compliance with RSPO principles and criteria (P&C), certification supply chain (SCC), and independent smallholders’ standards (RISS). This updated Code of Ethics has been incorporated into the latest certification system draft document.
The nineth assurance forum on 25 June 2024 focused on increasing auditor capability in social audit. Within 99 participants from many sectors, the forum discussed that it would be significant to adjust with the international scale – legal about forced labor and decent work, increasing the competency and having auditors’ schedules. The inputs in the forum would be the consideration to review LAG by Proforest.
The forum and meeting by ASC showed that RSPO would be committed to reinforce the sustainable assurance system on palm oil namely to face the global scale – challenges, such as, European Union Deforestation Regulation that could be running in December 2024. By these, RSPO hoped to increase the credibility and trust in the sustainable palm oil supply chain whole over the world. (P2)
