Blog

The EU’s consultation for its ‘Deforestation Regulation’ closed on December 10, and it’s already apparent that rifts are emerging between developed and developing countries in the approach that should be taken toward deforestation.A quick recap: the Deforestation Regulation is the… Read more

The EU appears to have backed down from its aggressive anti-palm stance at this year’s ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting. A statement from the virtual meeting held last week indicates that the EU has changed its tune on palm oil – in… Read more

The major story of last week was the international press coverage of labor and abuse  issues on palm plantations. As we’ve pointed out – not just over the past few weeks but over the past few years – labor-related matters… Read more

A new paper released in the lead-up to this year’s RSPO Roundtable was publicised in international press with one basic hook: palm oil certification has not delivered promised social and economic benefits.The paper is well researched enough, with a developed… Read more

The UK Government’s Due Diligence proposal is now being officially debated before the UK Parliament. The proposal – which is very likely to become law once it is finalized – will have a significant impact on a number of commodities,… Read more

This past week UK lawmakers tried to gain ground on the forthcoming due diligence legislation that will impact palm oil. Although there are some clear proponents of a simple regulation that assesses legality in the country of production, there are… Read more

Greenpeace has launched another annual attack on Indonesia’s palm oil sector this week. But the big problem for Greenpeace this year isn’t the fires – it’s the lack of them.Greenpeace’s annual Indonesian fire reports are released to ensure maximum international… Read more

Last week, we covered the move by US lobbying group Mighty Earth to smear President Jokowi’s Omnibus Bill, and highlighted their secret funding from the Norwegian Government used to carry out the attack.Moreover, we hinted at the connections between Mighty… Read more

The biggest international story around Indonesia over the past week has been the passing of President Jokowi’s Omnibus Law. The Bill was in train for more than a year; it amends 79 laws and more than 1244 clauses in existing… Read more

The UK’s International Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith has published an opinion piece in The Telegraph promoting the UK’s new international approach on the environment. Lord Goldsmith lays out the UK’s environmental diplomacy on deforestation. There is much to be lauded in… Read more