Indonesia pushes for South-South cooperation on palm oil sustainability standards
The Digest (07/09/2025) - In Indonesia, Euroactiv reported that Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Arif Havas Oegroseno recently announced a new push to develop palm oil standards through Global South cooperation organizations – specifically the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and others), CPAPC (the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The deputy foreign minister said the initiative is designed to prioritize the needs of developing nations and smallholder farmers. “The European Union has created its own standards without any alternative benchmark,” he said. “So, we must create our own benchmark outside the EU. We need to establish national or international standards under platforms like CPOPC, BRICS, and FAO.”
Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s two largest palm oil producers, have rolled out a number of public policies to make their palm oil industries more sustainable. Both governments are relying on mandatory certification schemes and stronger environmental safeguards, according to the report.
Jakarta made its Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) scheme compulsory through a 2020 Presidential Regulation, requiring all growers, including smallholders, to be certified by 2025, it added.