“Colombian palm oil firm takes RSPO certification to the next level” - 2 May 2017

Colombian oil palm company Daabon Group on Monday became the world’s company to receive the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) extra-strict sustainability stamp, known as RSPO Next…RSPO Next is a voluntary, more stringent addition to the regular RSPO standards for socially and environmentally responsible palm oil, and is the highest certification that the Kuala Lumpur-headquartered industry association offers…What is sustainable palm oil?...It was developed by RSPO largely in response to criticism that the association’s certification was lagging behind policies promising zero deforestation, burning, and peat development by industry giants such as Golden Agri-Resources, Wilmar, and Cargill…To earn RSPO Next certification, companies must meet requirements in five categories: No deforestation, no fire, no planting on peat, reduction of greenhouse gases, respect for human rights, and transparency…Daabon, which has four palm oil estates in Northern Colombia spanning almost 10,000 hectares, has had all of its palm oil certified according to RSPO’s baseline requirements since 2010…