Background
Since 2018, CRB has been working in partnership with Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to promote the uptake of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). Through the partnership, CRB has been able to promote awareness amongst relevant stakeholders including businesses, downstream players, associations, international organisations, policy actors, media and youth. Through these projects, CRB has also worked on increasing capacity and knowledge of relevant stakeholders on sustainable palm oil along with supporting multi-stakeholder platforms and dialogues related to opportunities and facilitating increased commitment and uptake of CSPO in India.
Current Project
As a part of the ongoing partnership with RSPO for 2024-25, CRB will be undertaking the following activities:
- Providing support to the Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC) for Institutional Governance and Management
I-SPOC will be conducting the following activities to strengthen its engagement with the Steering Committee, Founders, Members, and Observers:- Organize Steering Committee and Members’ meetings (bi-annually) and Founders’ meetings (once every two months).
- Reach out to existing and potential Members.
- Organize Capacity-Building Workshops on relevant topics.
- Engagement with the Government
I-SPOC will engage with a state government to improve understanding and implementation of the centrally sponsored National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) and sustainable practices among stakeholders. The main objective of this engagement is to raise awareness among stakeholders about the opportunities and benefits of integrating sustainability elements into ongoing palm oil production in the state. - Engagement with Financial Institutions
I-SPOC, with the support of RSPO, will engage with 2-3 financial institutions to build the capacity of various financial sector actors through targeted bilateral outreach. The outreach will aim to explore how financial institutions mitigate risks related to climate finance, with special reference to agro commodities.
Past Projects
In the year 2023-24, RSPO, together with CRB, undertook the following activities :
1)Â Strengthening I-SPOC:Â CRB and RSPO conducted following activities to strengthen I-SPOC:
- Coordination, institutional and governance systems (CRB as I-SPOC secretariat)
- Awareness generation and capacity building through knowledge productsÂ
- Engagement with policymakers
Knowledge products released in 2023-24 partnership to engage with the policymakers:Â
2) CRB’s 10th Annual Sustainability Conference (ISS 2023): RSPO hosted a session on ‘Innovative Strategies for Advancing Sustainable Palm Oil Production in India’ at ISS 2023. The brief objective of the session was to promote sustainability within the Indian palm oil industry by showcasing innovative practices, sharing success stories, and emphasising the importance of environmental and social responsibility. To view the session summary report, click here.Â
RSPO Session at ISS-2023
3) Awareness Generation: I-SPOC hosted the ‘Exploring EUDR: Building Awareness’ event, attracting over 100 participants. The workshop featured a panel discussion on the global value chain of palm oil, highlighting risks and opportunities for India. Click here to read the summary report of the workshop.
4)Â Engagement with Financial Institutions
- I-SPOC developed a module based on the Practitioners’ Guide – ‘Mitigating Potential Risks in Financing Agro-Commodities in India-The Case of Palm Oil’Â
- I-SPOC organised a capacity-building workshop with a financial institute on ‘Mitigating Potential Risks in Financing Agro-Commodities in India: Navigating Climate Change and Advancing Sustainable Finance’
As part of the 2022-23 partnership, CRB undertook the following activities:
1.Strengthen I-SPOC : CRB and RSPO conducted following activities to strengthen I-SPOC:
- Coordination, Institutional and Governance systems (CRB as I-SPOC secretariat)
- Strategic Outreach to Industry Actors like FMCG Industry
- Engagement with Ecosystem Actors (Policy Makers and Financial Institutions)
- Â
Knowledge product developed for engagement with policy makers
Knowledge product developed for engagement with Financial Institutions
2.Partnership for ISS 2022: RSPO organized a session on SPOD-India at CRB annual sustainability conference–ISS 2022 held from 2 to 4 November 2022 in New Delhi. The session aimed to highlight the leadership role that the Indian Industry can play in mainstreaming the trade of sustainable palm oil along with identifying pathways for integration of sustainability principles in the cultivation of oil palm in India.
RSPO Session at ISS-2022
To read about the activities in details, please click on the Annual report link
As part of 2021-22 partnership, CRB looked at the following areas:
- Business Engagement
- Engagement with Financial Institutions by highlighting certain key strategies to enable greater attention among the banks and investors on sustainable palm oil
- Policy & Strategic Engagements on specific Policy Input Notes developed to recommend key policy pointers to the respective Ministries/public agencies on sustainable palm oil production
- Strengthen I-SPOC
As part of the 2020-21 partnership, the following activities were undertaken:
- Engagement with Businesses for Commitment and Actions on Sustainable Palm Oil
- Offering learning and sharing opportunities through I-SPOC platform
- Development of training modules (Module 1 and Module 2) for awareness and capacity building on sustainable palm oil
- RSPO hosted a Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue for India during CRB 7th Annual Conference – ISS 2020
To read more on the activities please click the Annual Report Link
RSPO Session at ISS 2020
As a part of 2019-20 partnership, the following activities were undertaken:
- Engagement with Sustainability Ambassadors (industry and organisations)
- Media Engagement
- Youth Fellowship for Sustainable Palm (Y4S)
- Multi stakeholder Awareness and Dialogues: RSPO led two sessions at CRB’s 6th Annual Conference on Sustainability – ISS 2019
- Market Transformation towards Sustainable Palm Oil in India
- Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue in India
To read more about the activities please click the Annual report Link
RSPO Session at ISS 2019
RSPO and CRB came together in mid-2018 through a partnership to examine challenges/opportunities for uptake of sustainable palm oil in India.
CRB had conducted following activities under the partnership
- Created the ‘India story’ on Responsible shopping
- Enhanced visibility through social media to highlight the need/benefits from transition towards sustainable palm in India
- Development and dissemination of IEC related to the ‘India story’ highlighting Responsible shopping
- Initiated discussions, interactions and meetings with journalists from both Hindi and English press for engaging on the subject of sustainable palm oil
- Created Champions ( Sustainability Ambassadors)
To read more on the activities, please click the Annual report Link
RSPO session at ISS 2018
For further information, please contact
Ms. Bhavya Sharma
Senior Programme Officer
Email: bhavya@c4rb.in
Phone +91 (11) 41088853
