In order to guarantee the future of the orang-utans, the future of the rainforests and a healthy and sustainable economy in Indonesia and Borneo, we recommend the following:

• An immediate moratorium on the clearing of primary and significant secondary forests and draining of peatlands for palm oil plantations, and its strict enforcement.

• The establishment of an international independent certification body to audit all palm oil production according to strict criteria, and an international ban on the sale of product that has not been certified by this body, once this assessment procedure is in place.

• Whilst an international independent non-RSPO controlled certification scheme is being set up, the RSPO to introduce comprehensive changes in its structure, operations and procedures, in order to ensure that its actions fully represent all stakeholders in the palm oil industry. These changes to include:

  • A restructure of the RSPO Executive Board and Grievance Panel, so that both groups consist of equal numbers of industry and non-industry representatives.

  • A complete review of the Certification Guidelines and Principles and Criteria, including strictly quantifiable indicators to assess each criterion, and a requirement that 100% of all company-owned and non company-owned plantations be assessed before certification is granted.

  • The establishment of significant and prohibitive financial penalties for any breaches of the RSPO’s P & C and Code of Conduct, and membership expulsion and immediate cancellation of Sustainability Certificates if the practises are repeated.

  • Major improvements in the organisation’s transparency, including the public release of the names of donors and amounts of donations to the RSPO, explanations for RSPO Executive Board and Grievance Panel decisions, and minutes of all Executive Board, Grievance Panel and General Assembly meetings.

  • An independent non-RSPO body to review all currently RSPO-approved auditors to ensure auditor suitability and independence from the audited company. This independent body to equally represent all relevant stakeholders. The body will also be responsible for approving all new auditing body applications, and for appointing auditing bodies at random for individual company assessment. All assessed companies to contribute equally to a general assessment fund for the auditing process, rather than paying their auditor directly.

  • All existing oil palm growers and processors who are RSPO members to be assessed for Certification within a period of twelve months, and all new membership applicants in this category to undertake successful Certification assessments before their membership is approved.

  • To retain their RSPO membership, all existing members in the categories of oil palm traders, financial institutions and investors, consumer goods manufacturers and retailers to ensure that all of their suppliers, trading companies, and recipients of investment funds and banking services be certified within twelve months. All new membership applicants in these categories to meet this same requirement before membership is approved.

  • A restructure of RSPO Ordinary Membership to fully reflect the wide range of interests affected by the palm oil industry, not just predominantly industry interests. This could be achieved by membership becoming available to non-NGO groups, (such as local landholders and community groups affected by the palm oil industry), trade union and worker organizations representing workers in the industry, and national governments

  • Each RSPO Ordinary Member to have equal voting rights for all Executive Board positions, and the election of RSPO President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary.

  • The abolition of the requirement that RSPO members do not take public action against other members.

  • Abolition of the RSPO membership fee for non-corporate members.

  • RSPO to postpone the introduction of sustainability product labelling until all of the above recommendations concerning RSPO review have taken place.

  • If the above recommendation does not take place, the RSPO to immediately publicly state that the new Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) label is no guarantee whatsoever that the palm oil in the product has not originated from primary forest or drained peatland.

  • The RSPO to publicly state that all RSPO member company sustainability claims by non-certified members are misleading.