09/04/2010 (Commodity Online) - Sales of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil continue to grow significantly. In March 2010, a record 136,000 tonnes (or corresponding certificates) were purchased from palm oil producers, even more than the 126,000 tonnes that were produced that same month, Roundtable on Sustainale Palmoil (RSPO) said.

Sales can exceed production in a particular month if buyers purchased volumes of oil or certificates that reflected earlier production. For example, March 2010 marked the last opportunity for growers to sell certificates covering oil produced in 2009. More certified oil is projected to enter the market in the months ahead.In 2010's first quarter, the overall market uptake of sustainable palm oil was 95 percent. More than 1.8 million tonnes of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil have been produced since 2008, while close to 0.7 million tonnes were purchased by traders, consumer good manufacturers and retailers.

RSPO's Book & Claim system
The RSPO's Book & Claim system was designed to be a great starting point for manufacturers and retailers who wanted to become involved in RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil and palm kernel oil. “But to see it actually materialize in rapidly growing certificate sales is really heartwarming,” says Bob Norman, general manager of Book&Claim Ltd.

His company operates the Book & Claim system for sustainable palm oil (also known as GreenPalm), which accounted for more than 70 percent of sustainable palm oil sales thus far.

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“We now have a solid customer base in the United Kingdom,” Norman says, “and that is continuing. We also see sizeable interest from France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, and we have clients from Scandinavian countries, the US and Asian countries. All of them have experienced how the Book & Claim system is very easy to operate.”

Thanks to growing interest from general news media, including a recent documentary aired by the BBC, consumer awareness of palm oil is on the increase, Norman says. “People are looking to understand the issues, including why palm oil is used in the first place. The current perception is that it is cheap, while in reality of course that is only one of many good reasons,” he adds. “We all have to work to raise the level of public knowledge about palm oil.”

RSPO launches simple online tool: ‘How to begin using sustainable palm oil’
The RSPO has launched a new, easy to navigate web tool that helps retailers, manufacturers and traders complete the few steps needed to make RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil part of their operations. The new tool provides all categories of palm oil users with tailored lists of 'what to decide' and 'what to do' in order to switch to sustainable palm oil, and points to relevant websites and documents where needed, RSPO said in their newsletter.

To meet the needs of all palm oil users, the RSPO has set up four supply chain systems for RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil. Requirements for various systems and supply chain players differ, making it seem difficult for some to find out which ones they should meet. The new tool, which will soon also be available in French, German and Dutch, makes entering the RSPO scheme very straightforward. It can be accessed through RSPO's online Market Center at www.rspo.eu, which brings all RSPO's market-related information together.