New rules to stop deforestation caused by palm oil production can only succeed if brands and consumers buy larger amounts of oil certified as green and ethical, industry officials and environmental activists said.
The Kuala Lumpur-based Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a global watchdog with more than 4,000 members including producers, traders, buyers and green groups, adopted a stricter set of guidelines at a meeting this month.
The new standards include a ban on cutting down forests or converting peatlands for oil palm plantations, and greater protection for labor and land rights.