Status on sustainable palm oil in Belgium – are we there yet?

At the occasion of the presentation of its Progress Report 2018, the Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (BASP) organized a conference on the status and future of sustainable palm oil in Belgium, Europe and the world. Since December 2015, BASP company members are only using certified sustainable palm oil in their production for the Belgian market. Today, they reach out to all stakeholders, and to Belgian policy makers in particular, to invite them to help transition the entire sector.

Why is Belgium so important?

Since its foundation in 2012, the Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (BASP) is a voluntary sector initiative, based on the common conviction of organizations that sustainable palm oil is the only way forward. As such, BASP’s member companies have set and achieved an initial goal of using only certified sustainable palm oil in their food products for the Belgian market since December 2015. These member companies are working now towards even stricter sustainability criteria to protect valuable High Carbon Stock forests & peatlands and achieve full traceability.

Global consumption continues to increase, and palm oil is currently the most used vegetable oil in the world, with total EU use trumping the global production of many vegetable oils.[1] Faced with a continuing strong demand for palm oil, the only way forward is to actively promote sustainable palm oil and convince companies, NGO’s and governments to join the Alliance in this quest. Palm oil is the most productive oil crop. Replacing it would increase our land footprint at least six-fold. Moreover, forty percent of palm oil production is done by smallholder farmers who depend on it for their income. As one of the biggest users of palm oil in Europe and located at the heart of Europe, Belgium is ideally placed to take the lead on sustainable palm oil.

Jelmen Haaze, Secretary-General to BASP adds: “Despite its relatively small size, Belgium is an important country for the import and use of palm oil. Many Belgian food companies are making use of palm oil in their recipes and products in our export-oriented country. Therefore, it is crucial that Belgian decision makers and stakeholders gather together in constructive dialogue on how to continue to move forward towards the use of sustainable palm oil in Belgium and beyond”.

BASP members continue their road to sustainable palm oil

In order to move forward the use of sustainable palm oil, BASP members will continue to monitor sector progress via auto-reporting of figures and will start to implement additional regular external auditing. Annual reports (like the current BASP Progress report 2018) will contribute to efficient and timely reporting of results, with sampling audits confirming these trends and increasing trust by stakeholders and consumers alike.

BASP will also reach out to other companies to strengthen the basis of support for sustainable palm oil and support the least advanced companies in their transition towards sustainability by informing and educating and following up scientific and technological evolutions.

An ambitious sustainable palm oil policy for Belgium

Given the global challenges regarding palm oil and given the existing BASP initiative in Belgium, BASP suggests Belgian policy makers and pressure groups to develop a specific policy for sustainable palm oil:

1. A sectoral agreement needs to be established. BASP will take the initiative to invite the different stakeholders for a constructive dialogue on how to continue to move forward towards the use of sustainable palm oil in Belgium. BASP will do so by defining specific check points, far-reaching engagements and promoting legislative action, financial support or societal endorsement.
2. A system of public procurement should be set up. The Belgian governments can lead by example in buying 100% sustainable palm oil products by defining public procurement standards and share this with other public authorities.
3. Development cooperation has to be established. Sustainable palm oil could be a focus in Belgium’s development cooperation programs. Strengthening producers, in particular smallholders by guaranteeing a continuous access to the Belgian and EU market. This can be done by initiatives together with NGOs (a so-called gov-ngo cooperation, given marginalized producers cannot maintain, let alone improve their production and quality) or by programs together with local governments (gov-gov cooperation).

The EU as frontrunner for sustainable palm oil

BASP is convinced that the EU too should develop policies to assist the transition towards 100% sustainable palm oil in Europe. And even beyond that: the total production should raise its levels of sustainability to levels equal or above the definitions applied by the Alliance.

Some possible actions on European level:

1. The EU should make references in bilateral agreements (whether free-trade or development cooperation agreements).
2. Standards of production should be raised further to a sustainable level for all palm oil producing countries.
3. Moreover, the EU could strengthen producers, particularly smallholders and local governments through public procurement and by taking up sustainability of palm oil in public procurement guidelines.
4. Finally, regarding communication, the EU could support joint communication, informing all stakeholders about the positive effects of the transition to sustainable palm oil.

Jelmen Haaze, Secretary-General to BASP concludes: “In an environment where trade issues are at the center of the global debate, the transition towards sustainable palm oil cannot be treated as a solely technical issue. Decisions made here or in the producing countries have a global impact. We are facing fundamental choices. If we want to continue to feed the world sustainably, an inclusive debate involving all stakeholders is necessary. BASP has highlighted some key policy interventions where policy makers can make a difference. It reaches out to other stakeholders to act together.”

For more information: the BASP Progress report 2018 and the Belgian vision, presented at the conference on Friday 7 December, can be found on the website www.duurzamepalmolie.be / www.huiledepalmedurable.be.

[1] Check BASP Progress Report 2018, page 4.