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Palm oil sector progress stalls ahead of COP30
The palm oil sector risks undermining global efforts to meet forest and climate commitments, warns the team behind ZSL’s latest assessment of transparency in palm oil supply chains. Data summary The latest SPOTT assessment – which assessed the transparency…
The Future of SPOTT Assessments: Reflecting, Refining and Strengthening Our Impact
Sustainability is essential to long-term business success. Despite this, it is often ignored. Financial institutions on average provide £8.3 billion of financing to companies linked to deforestation – leaving markets, buyers and financers exposed to serious risks. ZSL is working…
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HCV management and monitoring in RSPO-certified plantations
A recent study commissioned by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Biodiversity and High Conservation Value (HCV) Working Group investigated the challenges to effective HCV management and monitoring (M&M) in oil palm plantations. Effective management and monitoring is important to ensure the…
Palm Lines: Supporting Indian palm oil buyers
India’s consumption of palm oil is the highest of any nation in the world, and the country therefore has the potential to play a significant role in driving sustainable practices. Palm Lines, a new report by WWF-India, highlights the key…
Transparency assessments show uneven implementation of ESG commitments by palm oil companies
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) recently published a blog post on the CFA Institute’s Asia-Pacific Research Exchange (ARX), highlighting for the first time the discrepancies between companies’ commitments and their implementation. Commodity producers were scored against a revised framework of 125…
New palm oil company assessments
As another hazy dry season looks set to loom across Southeast Asia, the latest SPOTT assessments find palm oil producers and traders varying in their commitments to combating fires and ensuring sustainability. While some companies are making positive progress in disclosing…
Timber and pulp companies selected
The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) SPOTT initiative is expanding to assess the transparency of major forest product producers operating in priority tropical areas, scoring companies on their commitments to environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practice. We have selected…
Connecting Tiger Territory in Sumatra
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) runs conservation programmes in over 50 countries, including Indonesia, where we work to protect the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) through species monitoring, anti-poaching programmes, and engagement with local communities and industry. We recently…
RSPO European Roundtable in London
As ZSL’s palm oil technical advisor, I attended this year’s Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) European meeting in London on 12-13 June 2017 to take part in a panel discussion on innovation and partnerships. The entire conference provided our…
SPOTT shortlisted for new Responsible Investor Award
Prompted by a growing number of reports stressing the negative impacts of palm oil production, financial experts first called upon the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) back in 2013, given our collaborative conservation work with the industry. These signals raised awareness…