Net-Zero Emissions: Achievements and Way Forward in the Palm Oil's Production

JAKARTA,Indonesia,Jan. 27,2022 -- The Palm Oil Industry is well on track towards reaching Net0 emissions. Facts and figures proving this great achievement was thoroughly discussed during webinar "Net-Zero Emissions: Achievements and Way Forward in the Palm Oil's Production",hosted by the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) on 26 January 2022.

At the opening session,MEP Seán Kelly underlined the need for a partnership between the European Union and producing countries,and reiterated that palm oil can indeed be produced sustainably. Kelly's statement in ensuring progress on sustainability was shared by Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron,CPOPC's Executive Director,who stressed that the palm oil industry started working towards Net0 emissions well ahead of others sectors and recalled palm oil's crucial role producing countries' development.

Experts from different backgrounds described the latest developments proving the producing countries' commitment toward palm oil' sustainable production: Science based data,outlined through the event,made clear once again that the false narrative surrounding palm oil,such as its contribution to deforestation,must and can be debunked.

Dr Rosediana Suharto,Director of the Indonesian NGO Responsible Palm Oil Initiative,highlighted that deforestation in Indonesia is steadily decreasing and that the palm oil industry is constantly changing to operate sustainably,together with strict measures from the government. She underscored the crucial role and the interests of smallholders in the global discussion on palm oil.

The importance of smallholder farmers has been again underlined by Dr Ruslan Abdullah from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council,who gave an exhaustive overview of Malaysia's performance in cutting CO2 emissions in comparison to other countries,describing the national measures aimed at improving the production of palm oil and reducing GHGs emissions.

Dr Wan Yee Lam,from South Pole,finally,outlined how companies can affectively plan their activities to reach Net0 emissions,following dedicated methodologies,such as the ones defined in the SBTI Corporate Net-Zero Standard.

Important viewpoints were also discussed in the Q&A session. The cooperation between producing countries and advanced countries has been identified as a central aspect,in the wide debate around palm oil,that must be addressed and improved to ensure that palm oil should be treated fairly. Avenues such as the ASEAN-EU Joint Working Group on Vegetable Oils must be utilized for an objective discussion on palm oil.

All presentations could be downloaded here.