More than 90 institutional investors representing over $6.7 trillion in assets under management have written to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) calling on it to strengthen its green certification standards for palm oil production. The letter raised concerns over the “relevance and effectiveness” of the multi-stakeholder certification body, which aims to boost sustainability standards across the palm oil industry. “Our investment portfolios include companies that have significant exposure to deforestation risks and therefore, have made robust no-deforestation policies and strong commitments to sourcing sustainably certified palm oil,” the letter states.  “As such, both investors and companies rely on the RSPO to ensure reliable supplies of verified sustainable palm oil.” The letter was coordinated by US environmental non-profit Ceres, with signatories including Aviva Investors, Aegon Asset Management, the New York State Common Retirement Fund and Hermes EOS.

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