The Round Table on Sustainable Palm oil used its fifth meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week to outline its certification scheme for sustainable palm oil on a quick reading of the headings it seems to give some protection to indigenous people, but there is the possibility that some of the green groups that are part of the coalition may pull out because they feel the registration will enable governments not to legislate to protect rain forest.
This kind of voluntary agreement is a good way forward, if it is properly enforced, if the audit is sufficiently robust and if the group is prepared to withhold registration to non-compliant oil, or to eject organisations that stop complying.