PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – To deliver accurate field data, Unilever and Meridia are managing smallholders’ plantation data to obtain Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification and comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Unilever, a founding member of RSPO, has formed a strategic partnership with agritech company Meridia to map smallholders’ palm oil plantations. This collaboration underscores their shared commitment to reinforcing a sustainable and responsible supply chain.
By leveraging Meridia’s expertise in gathering and verifying field data, the initiative integrates smallholders into the RSPO certification process, making them an integral part of Unilever’s supply chain. According to RSPO’s official website, Meridia works directly with smallholders to map their plantations, collecting essential field data and securing their approval to assess their eligibility for RSPO certification.
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So far, the initiative has successfully mapped 28,000 smallholders in Aceh, North Sumatera, and Riau. Beyond facilitating the RSPO certification process, this collaboration provides fundamental data that offers deeper insights into the smallholders’ social and economic conditions.
The collaboration is about to confirm environmental sustainability and escalate the smallholders’ capability to survive to climate change, contribute to their obedience on EUDR. It means, the initiative would deliver sustainable access to European countries and confirm that palm oil products would qualify the available sustainable standards. (P2)
