WWF Industry & Policy Engagement on Deforestation Free Edible Oil in India
Background
Demand for commodities linked to forests has steadily increased in India. Consumption of vegetable oil, timber, pulp and paper, etc. has grown due to a number of reasons from fast changing consumer preferences, to lifestyle patterns and cut-throat competition in the food industry.
Palm oil is well established as an essential ingredient in many FMCG products, personal care items, cosmetics, etc. India is the second largest consumer and biggest importer of palm oil with the volume of imports in 2020-21 being 8.32MMT. There has been a consistent increase in the quantity of domestic consumption of palm oil and the trend is expected to continue as per industry estimates.
Overview
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) in partnership with WWF India will undertake specific activities by engaging key stakeholders on deforestation free commodities supply chains in India – specifically edible oil. The aim of these engagements was to highlight the need for and identify opportunities from a balanced approach towards meeting the growing demand with little or no negative impact on forests and landscapes. Further, using evidence based on industry interactions, the organisations also shared perspectives and recommendations with relevant policymakers and influencers at the national, sectoral and regional levels.
Objectives
Based on experiences of both the organisations on engaging the industry and related stakeholders on sustainable commodities’ value chains (especially in edible oil), this partnership focused on the following broad areas:
- Partnership with Industry Associations/Actors
- Engaging Retailers, E-commerce companies and Financial InstitutionsÂ
- Policy Roundtables
Description of Activities
- WWF-India teamed up with the Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) to host a session on ‘Incorporating Responsible Sourcing in Retail Supply Chains’ at the Retail Leadership Summit (RLS 2022) held in Mumbai. The RLS is an annual leadership event of Retailers Association of India (RAI), and brings together retailing leaders from across industries. The session co-hosted by WWF India and CRB focused on how retailers and businesses could eliminate environmental risks such as deforestation, ecosystem loss and biodiversity loss in their supply chains by adopting responsible sourcing practices for forest-linked commodities.
- WWF along with the Centre for Responsible Business represented The Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC) at the India Food Forum 2022 which was held at Westin Mumbai, Powai Lake from December 7-8, 2022.
- India and Sustainability Standards (ISS 2022) – WWF was a ‘Session Partner’ at the CRB 2022 annual sustainability conference – India and Sustainability Standards 2022 (ISS 2022). A session was organised on Exploring International Collaboration among G20 Members on Deforestation Free’ Commodity Value Chains. The session aimed to garner inputs on collaboration among G20 members to promote ‘Deforestation Free Commodity Value Chains’, globally along with examining ways to inform the G20 sherpa track on the subject and highlight the possible role that Governments and Industry of Producing Countries; Trading/Refining Countries and Buyers countries could play.
Summary report – https://www.sustainabilitystandards.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ISS2022_Post_Conference_Report_v2-1.pdfÂ
- CRB initiated engagement with e-commerce companies and retailers to help create understanding about growing consumer ‘intent’ on sustainably sourced commodities, sustainable enterprises – especially those linked to deforestation free commodities. One of the aims of these dialogues was to explore interest among retailers or e-commerce companies in India for initiating and executing joint activities in e-commerce and retail space. Activities already undertaken by WWF under its Consumer Campaign were aligned with these planned engagements.
- CRB has developed Practitioners Guide for the Financial Sector to drive sustainable sourcing in agro-commodities with a focus on palm oil. This Guide was used for discussions and possible application by select Financial Institutions.Â
- National level Stakeholder Consultation: In order to garner inputs from relevant stakeholders on the domestic production of palm oil in India and to identify methods to integrate sustainability to the production process, the Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition of India (I-SPOC) organized a ‘Stakeholder Conclave on Sustainable Palm Oil’ on May 24, 2023 in New Delhi.Â
- The objectives of the event were to:
- Â convene and engage relevant stakeholders, including businesses, policymakers, state and national/state government institutions and technical institutes on domestic production of palm oil, integration of sustainability principles and uptake of sustainable palm oil
- create awareness on the sustainability related challenges and opportunities in domestic palm oil production in India, and provide suggestions to integrate sustainability principles to existing guidelines of National Mission on Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
- The objectives of the event were to:
Summary report: https://indiaspoc.org/images/Stakeholder%20Conclave%20on%20Sustainable%20Palm%20Oil_Summary%20Report%20(1).pdf
