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RSPO Improved Certification System by Separating Certification Body and Auditee to Escalate Credibility



Foto by Aceng Sofian/sawitfest 2021
RSPO Improved Certification System by Separating Certification Body and Auditee to Escalate Credibility

 InfoSAWITT, KUALA LUMPUR – Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Assurance Standing Committee (RSPO ASC) kept showing its strong committed to improve RSPO assurance system by focusing on increasing the credibility and effectiveness. For the past semester, ASC conducted three meetings and one assurance forum to discuss key aspects to improve the system.

As InfoSAWIT quoted from the official page of RSPO, Friday (18/101/2024), one significant issue discussed was about the potential to separate commercial connectivity between certification bodies (CB) and auditee (the professional that conducted audit).

The study showed that the direct connectivity between CB and auditee would be risky to RSPO assurance system credibility. Consultant of New Foresight was appointed to explore the possibility to separate the connection.

In the quarter meeting of ASC in May 2024, the study result showed that most of the stakeholder did not consider that the separation would be the best solution but if it would be implemented, the central fund model would allocate and fund CB and this would be the most effective one,

RSPO Labour Auditing Guidance (LAG) which is now volunteer, accomplished the test period in May 2024. Then the independent review on LAG implementation would start to identify the gap and assess LAG feasibility mandatorily. Proforest, as the consultan, would review the document and get interview with the stakeholders and the final report would be (accomplished) in October 2024 until the final recommendation would be reviewed by RSPO Board of Governor until it would be voluntary.

In June 2024, ASC approved the ethic code draft modifitation for RSPO Auditor. The goal is about to clarify the expectation to the auditors that audit the obedience in RSPO principles and criteria (P&C), RSPO certification supply chain (SCC), and RSPO independent smallholders’ standards (RISS). The ethic code has been added to the latest draft of certification system document.

The nineth assurance forum on 25 June 2024 focused on increasing auditor capability in social audit. Within 99 participants from many sectors, the forum discussed that it would be significant to adjust with the international scale – legal about forced labor and decent work, increasing the competency and having auditors’ schedules. The inputs in the forum would be the consideration to review LAG by Proforest.

The forum and meeting by ASC showed that RSPO would be committed to reinforce the sustainable assurance system on palm oil namely to face the global scale – challenges, such as, European Union Deforestation Regulation that could be running in December 2024. By these, RSPO hoped to increase the credibility and trust in the sustainable palm oil supply chain whole over the world. (T2)


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