Palm oil assessment summary - November 2022
ZSL's SPOTT initiative assesses 100 palm oil producers, processors and traders on their public disclosure regarding their organisation, policies and practices related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. We encourage stakeholders to engage with companies, as policies and commitments may not always translate into effective implementation on the ground.
Indicator categories
SPOTT scores palm oil producers, processors and traders using up to 184 ESG indicators across 10 categories. View the categories below to find out more about key results, and visit company pages to view their full assessments.
Note: Indicators are disabled if they are not applicable to companies due to the nature or location of their operations.
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Sustainability policy and leadership
50.8%
- 59 companies / 79 (74.7%) have put in place clear sustainability policies that apply to all their operations.
- 60 companies / 98 (61.2%) have a sustainability policy that applies to all their suppliers.
- 46 companies / 84 (54.8%) have one or more board members with responsibility for sustainability.
- 43 companies / 100 (43.0%) are members of external industry schemes or initiatives to improve the sustainability of palm oil production.
- 10 companies / 100 (10.0%) have published a climate risk assesssment.
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Landbank, maps and traceability
47.5%
- 65 companies / 79 (82.2%) report a planted area, totalling more than 6.36 million hectares.
- 54 companies / 79 (68.4%) report their areas set aside for conservation or High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, totalling more than 1.11 million hectares.
- 24 companies / 68 (35.3%) that source from third-party supplying mills can trace 100% of their raw materials to the mill of origin.
- 47 companies / 68 (69.1%) can trace 0% of their raw materials from their supplier mills to the plantation of origin.
- 32 companies / 65 (49.2%) publish some traceability data at the refinery level.
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Certification standards
40.6%
- 66 companies / 100 (66.0%) are full members of the RSPO.
- 1 company / 100 (1.0%) has subsidiary RSPO members.
- 6 companies / 79 (7.6%) have 100% of their estates RSPO-certified.
- 35 companies / 79 (44.3%) have certified some of their estates.
- 17 companies / 79 (21.5%) have 100% of their mills RSPO-certified.
- 24 companies / 79 (30.4%) have RSPO-certified some of their mills.
- 43 companies / 100 (43.0%) are certified under other voluntary certification schemes.
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Deforestation and biodiversity
36.8%
- 57 companies / 79 (72.2%) have a clear commitment to zero deforestation.
- 4 companies / 79 (5.1%) have a weak or unclear commitment.
- 57 companies / 98 (58.2%) have a zero-deforestation commitment that applies to all their suppliers.
- 44 companies / 79 (55.7%) provide strong evidence of monitoring deforestation.
- 7 companies / 79 (8.9%) provide some evidence of monitoring deforestation, but which lacks clear methodologies or timeframes.
- 16 companies / 79 (20.3%) commit to restore non-compliant deforestation/conversion and specify a cut-off date beyond which deforestation or conversion would not be accepted.
- 19 companies / 98 (19.4%) have a commitment to restore non-compliant deforestation/conversion that applies to all their suppliers, which includes a cut-off date beyond which deforestation or conversion would not be accepted.
- 25 companies / 100 (25.0%) report implementing a landscape or jurisdictional approach.
- 1 company / 79 (1.3%) has published a Biodiversity Policy which extends beyond conservation set-asides and includes clear time-bounds targets to measure the impacts of the policy.
- 52 companies / 79 (65.8%) report multiple examples of species and/or habitat conservation management activities.
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HCV, HCS and impact assessments
44.3%
- 57 companies / 79 (72.2%) commit to conduct High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments for all new development.
- 53 companies / 98 (54.1%) have a commitment to conduct HCV assessments that applies to all their suppliers.
- 19 companies / 66 (28.8%) have undertaken HCV assessments for all estates planted since January 2015.
- 51 companies / 79 (64.6%) have a commitment to the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Approach.
- 45 companies / 98 (45.9%) have a commitment to the HCS Approach that applies to all their suppliers.
- 30 companies / 96 (31.3%) have undertaken social and/or environmental impact assessments (SEIA) and have made associated management and monitoring plans publicly available.
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Peat, fire and GHG emissions
47.2%
- 54 companies / 79 (68.4%) have a clear commitment to no planting on peat of any depth.
- 5 companies / 79 (6.3%) have a weak or unclear commitment that fails to specify all depths of peat or does not cover all operations.
- 57 companies / 98 (58.2%) have a commitment to no planting on peat of any depth that applies to all their suppliers.
- 14 companies / 66 (21.2%) report evidence that their landbank on peat has not increased.
- 57 companies / 79 (72.2%) have a clear commitment to zero burning.
- 56 companies / 98 (57.1%) have a commitment to zero burning that applies to all their suppliers.
- 51 companies / 79 (64.6%) have disclosed clear information relating to monitoring and managing fires.
- 26 companies / 96 (27.1%) have a time-bound commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity.
- 21 companies / 96 (21.9%) report a reduction in their GHG emissions intensity over time.
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Water, chemical and pest management
42.8%
- 24 companies / 96 (25.0%) have a time-bound commitment to improve water use intensity.
- 26 companies / 96 (27.1%) report making progress towards their water use intensity commitment.
- 27 companies / 96 (28.1%) have a time-bound commitment to improve water quality.
- 21 companies / 96 (21.9%) report making progress towards their water quality commitment.
- 43 companies / 79 (54.4%) have a commitment to minimise the use of chemicals, including both pesticides and chemical fertilisers.
- 29 companies / 98 (29.6%) have a commitment to minimise the use of chemicals that applies to all their suppliers.
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Community, land and labour rights
54.4%
- 65 companies / 100 (65.0%) have a public commitment to the UN Declaration on Human Rights or equivalent.
- 53 companies / 98 (54.1%) have a commitment to human rights that applies to all their suppliers.
- 58 companies / 81 (71.6%) commit to the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
- 58 companies / 98 (59.2%) have a commitment to FPIC that applies to all their suppliers.
- 44 companies / 79 (55.7%) support the inclusion of women across their palm oil operations, including addressing barriers faced.
- 47 companies / 100 (47.0%) commit to the Fundamental ILO Conventions or Free and Fair Labour Principles.
- 36 companies / 98 (36.7%) have a commitment to Fundamental ILO Conventions or Free and Fair Labour Principles that applies to all their suppliers.
- 7 companies / 100 (7.0%) report salary by gender.
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Smallholders and suppliers
31.2%
- 54 companies / 94 (57.4%) commit to support both scheme/plasma and independent smallholders.
- 48 companies / 93 (51.6%) clearly report they have or support a programme to support independent smallholders in the supply chain.
- 38 companies / 98 (38.8%) report a clear process to prioritise, assess and/or engage suppliers on compliance with company policy or legal requirements.
- 13 companies / 98 (13.3%) report a limited or unclear process to prioritise, assess and/or engage suppliers on compliance with company policy or legal requirements.
- 11 companies / 79 (14.0%) report having a programme to support own and third-party high-risk mills to become compliant with their sourcing policies, and give examples of the types of support provided.
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Governance and grievances
54.3%
- 71 companies / 100 (71.0%) have commitments to both ethical conduct and prohibition of corruption.
- 52 companies / 98 (53.1%) have a commitment to ethical conduct and prohibition of corruption that applies to all their suppliers.
- 59 companies / 100 (59.0%) report having a whistleblowing procedure.
- 64 companies / 100 (64.0%) have a grievance or complaints system open to all stakeholders.
- 34 companies / 100 (34.0%) have disclosed details of complaints and grievances.
Key findings
- The average score of companies is 45.4% in November 2022, compared to 42.8% during the last assessment of palm oil companies in November 2021.
- 65/99 (65.7%) companies assessed in 2021 saw an increase in their scores in 2022 – the average change in score was +6.2 percentage points.
- 30/99 (30.3%) companies assessed in 2021 saw a decrease in their scores in 2022 – the average change in score was -1.9 percentage points.
- The average score of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) members (67 companies), including companies with subsidiary RSPO members, is 59.8% vs. 16.2% for non-RSPO members (33 companies).
Scores updated 23 November 2022.
Average scores by type
About SPOTT
Developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), SPOTT is an online platform supporting sustainable commodity production and trade. By tracking transparency, SPOTT incentivises the implementation of corporate best practice. SPOTT assesses commodity producers, processors and traders on their public disclosure regarding their organisation, policies and practices related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. SPOTT scores companies annually against sector-specific indicators to benchmark their progress over time. Investors, buyers and other key influencers can use SPOTT assessments to inform stakeholder engagement, manage risk, and increase industry transparency. For more information, visit spott.org.
About ZSL
ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is an international conservation charity working to create a world where wildlife thrives. From investigating the health threats facing animals to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, ZSL is committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Our work is realised through our ground-breaking science, our field conservation around the world and engaging millions of people through our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. For more information, visit zsl.org.