(Ecofin Agency) - Swiss agribusiness firm Nestlé has been reinstated in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an association statement relayed by Reuters indicated.

Created in 2004 to ensure the sustainability of palm oil industry criticized for being environment-unfriendly, the RSPO is a voluntary certification mechanism based on about forty criteria grouped into eight principles. Nestlé’s membership was suspended June 27 as it failed to submit a roadmap showcasing its use of certified sustainable palm oil.

Henceforth, Nestlé commits to promoting the use of certified palm oil with the objective to achieve 100% sustainable palm oil supply by 2023. To this end, RSPO required that each year members should submit a report detailing their actions taken over the previous 12 months and plans for the coming year with regard to the production or purchase of certified sustainable palm oil. 

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), nearly 19-20% of the global palm oil production was certified by RSPO in 2017. Currently, the roundtable gathers 3,200 stakeholders (wholesalers, processors, retailers and supply chain partners) as well as 175 oilseed producers.

Espoir Olodo