Global Leaders and Experts to Gather at World’s Largest Sustainable Palm Oil Meeting by RSPO

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam to grace event as Guest of Honor. Presented by international multi-stakeholder organization the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and themed “10 Years of Driving Sustainability.

27 Sep 2012 --- Over 100 distinguished speakers from stakeholders across the palm oil sector will gather for the landmark 10th Annual Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT10) at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, from 30 October– 1 November 2012.

Presented by international multi-stakeholder organization the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and themed “10 Years of Driving Sustainability. A Business Model for the Future”, the three-day RT10 will address topical issues and challenges facing the palm oil industry.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore, will grace the event as Guest of Honor. Delegates from over 32 countries around the globe have registered to attend the RT10, from all sectors including oil palm producers, palm oil processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks and investors, environment non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social or developmental NGOs; as well as from embassies, academic institutions and research organizations.

To further promote international co-operation and acknowledge the effectiveness and importance of the multi-stakeholder approach in addressing various pressing global challenges, RT10 will introduce an interesting plenary session, “Multi Stakeholders Initiative – CEO Forum of Roundtable”. The panel will gather high-level representatives from various sustainability and environmental roundtables and nongovernmental organizations including Mr Darrel Webber, Secretary General of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Agustin Mascotena, Executive Director, Round Table for Responsible Soy Association, Alistair Monument, Asian Regional Director, Forest Stewardship Council and Sebastien Haye, Executive Secretary, Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels.

“As the RSPO annual roundtable marks its tenth year, we must recognise that this initiative could not have gone far without the multi-stakeholder representation within the RSPO. The roundtable has provided a valuable platform for the harmonizing of varying interests to serve one common vision of making sustainable palm oil the norm,” said Mr Darrel Webber. “RT10 will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the palm oil industry to come together to reaffirm their support for sustainable palm oil, not only for environmental reasons, but for business continuity of the entire sector.”

Chairperson for the plenary session, Mr Sameer Mohindru, Commodities Correspondent at Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal, said: “At a time when a debate is raging over the efficacy of increasing palm oil production in ecologically fragile areas, the key challenge is to balance the needs of both food security and environment, which are equally important.”

This year, the RSPO expects RT10 to continue to receive strong international support as sustainably produced palm oil gains traction within the sector. Over a short three-year period from 2009 to 2011, the supply of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) soared 250%, while sales volume grew over six times. Last year, RSPO celebrated another milestone with the launch of the RSPO Trademark on consumer goods packaging, which informs customers and helps them to differentiate products which are being sourced sustainably. “The Roundtable is a timely call to action at a time when sustainably produced palm oil is gaining global traction,” added Mr Webber. “I hope RT10 will capitalize on this momentum to generate meaningful dialogue and further encourage buy-in from stakeholders across the palm oil supply chain, resulting in renewed commitment from the sector.”