07/11/2009 (All Africa.com) - When the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released its Palm Oil Buyers' Scorecard on 28 October 2009, a stark situation was brought to the world's attention: despite the availability of safe, earth-friendly palm oil options, Western companies were not meeting commitments to purchase those alternatives.

WWF brought this report and other issues to the forefront of discussion at this week's 7th Annual Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Kuala Lampur. The RSPO is an organization consisting of actors from all steps of the palm oil production process, along with environmental and social nongovernmental organizations like the WWF.

Those present in Kuala Lampur agreed to delay further emissions reductions until 2010, but also dedicated themselves to voluntary emissions reductions, and finding more efficient uses for substances like pesticides and fertilizers.

Palm oil, a substance with a wide range of uses, such as hygiene and alternative energy, requires a process of harvesting and manufacturing which has traditionally been a detriment to the environment. With increased emissions of greenhouse gasses related directly to the clearing of land for products such as palm oil, organizations like the RSPO have taken notice and adopted measures to make the production process more environmentally friendly. The negative impacts of the process are compounded by the fact that palms only grow in the tropics, in developing nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea.

"It's not possible to say for sure exactly what are the emissions from palm oil plantations. However, we can say that forest conversion by plantation companies contributes to climate change," Manager of Markets and Communications for palm oil and soy at WWF International, Carrie Svingen, said. "That's because forest conversion contributes to deforestation and degradation. Twenty percent of all human induced greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions are caused by deforestation and degradation."

Svingen elaborated to MediaGlobal how the palm oil industry was making its own impact on emissions, stating, "The industry practice of draining and converting peatland forests is especially damaging to climate mitigation efforts, as these 'carbon sinks' store more carbon per unit area than any other ecosystem in the world."

While the focus of the Roundtable, and the world in general, has been chiefly on emissions, other areas of sustainability have taken a hit as well. Palm oil production, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, has had a huge impact on biodiversity, threatening species that live in the forests such as orangutans and tigers. Additionally, the forests remain a central source of shelter and food for natives. Elimination of these forests causes those same natives to lose their homes at an extraordinary rate.

The results of the RSPO paint a mixed picture; members did commit to better practices, but the major of issue of land use remained off the table. Svingen expressed hope that the RSPO would "require member palm oil producing companies to optimize the use of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and fossil fuels, and maintain and manage water on peat soils." Nevertheless, he lamented that "it is likely that the GHG reduction actions related to land use change will remain voluntary."

Another option for better production will be the market. If buyers of palm oil reversed the negative practices outlined in WWF's report, they would theoretically commit themselves to only buying palm oil that resulted from sustainable practices. If enough buyers chose that route, there would be an expectation by the market to purchase sustainable palm oil.

Since most activities contributing to sustainable palm oil production are voluntary, it will remain a matter of wait-and-see throughout the next year whether or not buyers and producers continue to adopt safer guidelines.

Meanwhile, Svingen holds out hope, noting that "most of the RSPO member buyers will make commitments to only buy RSPO oil with these conditions attached, so the market will be a strong driver in pushing RSPO producers to implement the expected voluntary standards."