Just south-west of London, in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle, a monumental round table with a diameter of five metres hangs at a height of around eight metres. According to legend, it served as a meeting place for King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Its round shape symbolises equality, responsibility and dialogue at eye level - values that are still regarded as a model for cooperative decision-making processes today.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) also takes up this claim. The aim of the international multi-stakeholder initiative is to make palm oil fair, transparent and sustainable along the entire value chain. The members meet annually in regionally organised groups at different locations. On 22 January 2026, the EMEA meeting took place in Hamburg city centre - in the immediate vicinity of our company. The agenda included current industry developments, social trends and regulatory changes in European consumer protection.
Market structure and sustainability status
The most important figures in brief - Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand share the palm oil market with just under 85 % of the volume produced between them. In 2024, approximately 60 % of the palm oil produced worldwide was not produced sustainably; conversely, this means around 17 Mto of certified palm oil, CSPO. While the mass of CSPO produced has been stagnating for two years after years of growth, the world is strictly divided in terms of sustainability efforts. While almost 90 % of palm oil in Europe and North America is RSPO-certified, the share for the rest of the world has stagnated at an average of 13 %. Of the approximately 6,160 RSPO members worldwide, around half come from Europe. With 481 members, Germany has the second largest number of licencees after the USA.
Agronomic efficiency of the oil palm
Despite the controversial debate, the yield balance of the oil palm is clear: per hectare of cultivated area, it is by far the most productive oilseed. Its yield per hectare exceeds that of rapeseed, sunflower or soya many times over - in some cases by a factor of eight. This efficiency makes it clear that sustainability strategies must not only focus on substitution, but also on responsible production and transparent supply chains.
Regulatory developments and market requirements
The EU Deforestation Regulation 2023/1115 (EUDR) was the central point of discussion. In future, it will oblige companies to provide evidence of a deforestation-free supply chain for raw materials such as soya, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, rubber, wood and cattle, as well as products made from them. Specifically, companies must prove that the areas utilised have not been deforested after 2020.
Representatives of international companies such as BASF, Ferrero and Henkel openly discussed possible overlaps between EUDR requirements and existing RSPO standards from 2027, calling in particular for an expansion of capacities in the „segregated“ segment - i.e. physically separated palm oil that can be traced back to the plantation or oil mill.
However, consumers in the EU want more organic products, up to 83 % depending on the country. At the same time, their trust in the labels and seals on products is dwindling. And rightly so, because 40 % of advertising claims and 53 % of statements on sustainability criteria are unfair, colloquially known as greenwashing. The Green Claims Directive (EU) 2024/825, the „Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and better information“, which is due to come into force on 27 September 2026, is intended to put a stop to this. The questions as to which national or EU authorities should check compliance with these requirements and how violations should be penalised remain unanswered.
The carefully curated selection of presentations, the open atmosphere for dialogue across all sectors and the professional moderation have further strengthened our clear commitment to fair and sustainable solutions.
The professional exchange was characterised by transparency, a spirit of innovation and the common goal of driving forward sustainable concepts for cosmetics formulation. The venue and date of the next meeting have not yet been finalised.
