RSPO Releases 2025 Impact Update on Sustainable Palm Oil Progress

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has released its latest impact update for 2025, following the detailed 2024 impact report that marked the organisation's 20th anniversary.

The 2025 impact update is a concise, data-driven bulletin highlighting the tangible results of RSPO members' efforts between 1 January and 31 December 2024.

The update shows how RSPO standards continue to drive change across multiple dimensions:

• Allocation of US$5.3 million to support 140 projects worldwide, benefiting more than 57,500 smallholder farmers across 14 countries since 2013.
• More than 640,000 workers worldwide benefiting from the labour standards set out in RSPO's Principles and Criteria (P&C) certification.
• 425,597 hectares (equivalent to 2.7 times the size of Greater London) of High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, plus 29,469 hectares of riparian reserves – critically important ecosystems – protected under RSPO certification.
• Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions avoided since 2015 have reached 2.43 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, equivalent to the emissions of 567,734 cars.
• Commitment from downstream supply chain players is also reflected in the growth of certifications awarded to intermediate facilities, which have now surpassed 7,000 sites worldwide.

RSPO membership comprises three categories: ordinary membership, supply chain membership, and affiliate membership. A notable rise was recorded in supply chain members (+176, or 5.1%) and ordinary members (+71, or 3.2%), indicating that more brands are expanding their purchases of sustainable palm oil.

Growth in the ordinary membership category was driven mainly by an 8.4% increase in members from the processor/trader and consumer-facing sectors – including cosmetics. This growth reflects both rising consumer demand for sustainable cosmetic products and companies' recognition that RSPO certification enhances credibility, compliance and brand trust.