10/10/04 Oilmandi - Major palm oil players and non-governmentalorganizations plan to produce standards and criteria for a sustainablepalm oil industry within a year, the Roundtable On Sustainable Palm Oil(RSPO), said Wednesday. Teoh Cheng Hai, secretary general of the RSPO, saidas the standards and criteria cover a broad range of issues, it will takelonger to produce them. The RSPO ended its second meeting in JakartaWednesday. However, it has yet todecide when and where the third meetingwill take place next year. The RSPO is an association founded in Aprilthis year which groups major players in the palm oil supply chain,including oil palm growers, processors,traders, banks, retailers andenvironmental NGOs.

The RSPO aims to promote sustainable, environmentally friendly developmentof the palm oil industry, as the industry has been increasingly linked todeforestation and loss of biodiversity.