Partnership with WWF-India
Industry & Policy Engagement on Deforestation-Free
Edible Oil in India
Background
The demand for commodities globally associated with deforestation-risk continues to rise in India as in some of the other emerging economies (like Indonesia and China), driven by rapid urbanisation; shifting middle class consumption patterns; and the growth of sectors such as food processing, retail, and personal care. Among these deforestation-risk commodities, India is the world’s largest importer and second-largest consumer of palm oil. India is therefore a leading palm oil market globally, well-positioned in promoting sustainable sourcing, trade and consumption of palm oil.
Overview
Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) has been partnering with WWF India to undertake activities by engaging key stakeholders on deforestation free commodities supply chains in India – specifically palm oil. The two organisations are founders of a unique multistakeholder platform that aims to drive transition towards sustainable palm oil viz, I-SPOC (www.indiaspoc.org). Over the last couple of years, CRB and WWF-India were able to engage with policy makers, financial institutions, relevant businesses and industry players on the issue related to deforestation in the edible oil supply chain and the need to transit towards a deforestation free supply chain.
Current Projects
Project 2025-26
Objectives
The aim of this year’s partnership is to advance sustainable palm oil practices in India through a combination of policy engagement, industry outreach, and public communication.
- Policy-level engagement through the I-SPOC Policy Engagement Working Group, which brings together experts from government, industry, research institutions, and civil society.
- Organization of I-SPOC’s annual flagship event, which serves as a platform to convene all relevant stakeholders across the palm oil value chain in India, and beyond.
- Corporate engagement through a targeted business-to-business (B2B) engagement and capacity building.
Description of Activities
The 4th Policy Engagement Group was held at WWF India office, Delhi and the focus was on sustainable palm oil trade. Key takeaway was to integrate sustainability requirements into the Indian imports and to link the trade policy with the mapped minimum criterion for sustainable palm oil
I-SPOC Flagship Event
CRB (I-SPOC Secretariat) will co-design and launch a flagship event – with inputs from the founders and steering committee members of I-SPOC. The aim of this event would be bringing together key stakeholders across the deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) commodities’ (focusing on palm) value chain to promote dialogue, partnerships, knowledge and good practices on DCF in India.
Corporate engagement
Engagement with Business-to-business (B2B) awareness around sustainable palm oil through a combination of targeted outreach, and multi-channel communications will be conducted.
Past Project
Project 2023-24
Objectives
The aim of this year’s partnership will be to highlight the need and identify opportunities from a balanced approach towards meeting the growing demand with little or no negative impact on forests and landscapes.
- Engagement with state governments on National Mission on Edible Oils- Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
- WWF Session at CRB Annual Sustainability Conference-India and Sustainability Standards (ISS) 2023
- Establishing Policy Advisory group under I-SPOC
- Business Engagement (Financial Institutions, retailers and e-commerce)
Description of Activities
- CRB will engage with the Department of Agriculture/Horticulture and will be working towards capacity building and awareness generation of the relevant stakeholders. CRB aims to bring together stakeholders on one platform to further initiate dialogue on sustainable palm oil and integrating sustainability into domestic production of oil palm.
I-SPOC in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Arunachal Pradesh organised capacity-building workshops on Sustainable Palm Oil Production in Roing on 30 August and in Itanagar on 3 September, 2024 . The workshops aimed at raising awareness and building capacity among farmers, FPOs, industry representatives, and state agriculture officials on integrating sustainability into oil palm production. To read the comprehensive summary report of capacity-building workshops, click here.
WWF- India hosted a session on ‘Aligning sustainability to the policy landscape for soft commodities’ at ISS 2023. The session aimed to look at sustainable supply chains through the lens of international legislations, actions undertaken by Government of India and Global South and implications for the private sector and possible solutions to address the challenges.
WWF- India hosted a session on ‘Aligning Sustainability to the Policy Landscape for Soft Commodities’ at ISS 2023. The session aimed to look at sustainable supply chains through the lens of international legislations, actions undertaken by the Government of India and Global South and implications for the private sector and possible solutions to address the challenges. To view the session summary report, click here.
I-SPOC, with the support from WWF-India, developed a Policy Engagement Group consisting of 16 experts from various sectors, including former government secretaries, representatives from research organisations, major FMCGs, producer associations, civil society organisations, and NGOs. The group aims to develop policy recommendations and framework for sustainable palm oil production in the country. The first meeting of the group was held on 20 May, 2024, and the subsequent meetings were held on 15 October and 11 December 2024.
- Engagement with Financial institutions: 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’
- Engagement with e-commerce: I-SPOC reached out to 10 plus e-commerce related to sustainable palm oil. In addition to this, bilateral meetings are conducted to engage with them on sustainable palm oil production.
Project 2022-23
Objectives
This partnership focused on engaging the industry and related stakeholders on sustainable commodities’ value chains (especially in an edible oil) consisting following broad areas:
- Partnership with Industry Associations/Actors
- Engaging Retailers, E-commerce companies and Financial Institutions
- Policy Roundtables
Description of Activities
- WWF-India hosted a session with CRB on ‘Incorporating Responsible Sourcing in Retail Supply Chains’ at the Retailers Association of India’s (RAI) annual leadership event Retail Leadership Summit (RLS 2022) in Mumbai from 27-28 April, 2022.
- WWF along with the CRB represented The Sustainable Palm Oil Coalition for India (I-SPOC) at the India Food Forum 2022 held at Westin Mumbai, Powai Lake from December 7-8, 2022.
- WWF-India hosted a session on “Exploring International Collaboration among G20 Members on Deforestation Free’ Commodity Value Chains’ at CRB annual sustainability conference – ISS 2022
Click here to view Session Summary Report
CRB initiated engagement withFinancial Institutions to create awareness on sustainably sourced commodities especially those linked to deforestation.
- Stakeholder Consultation: I-SPOC organized a ‘Stakeholder Conclave on Sustainable Palm Oil’ on May 24, 2023 in New Delhi to identify methods to integrate sustainability to the ongoing domestic production of palm oil.
Click here to view the Summary Report.
