Palm Oil State Plans to Go Green in a World First

A decade-long initiative to protect and restore forests, end worker abuses and guarantee that palm oil is produced ethically by the year 2025 is making progress in Sabah, Malaysia, which aims to become the world’s first green palm oil state. 

In an effort to protect both the environment and workers, the Jurisdictional Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO) initiative was launched in 2015 and has since introduced supportive laws and mandates and consulted with industry and environmentalists, among others. 

“It is important to share with the villages the balance of profit and the environment. The planet is our home and if our home is not healthy, then we are also not healthy,” says Joannes Wasai, field coordinator for the nonprofit Forever Sabah. Sabah produces about 5 million tons of palm oil – the most widely used edible oil – per year, making it Malaysia’s second-largest palm oil state. 

JCSPO’s focus for the latter half of the decade will revolve around helping small farmers qualify as green and ethical through the Kuala Lumpur-based organization, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a crucial factor for the success of the decade-long project. Though the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the Sabah government have led to delays, 24% of palm oil produced in Sabah is now RSPO-certified. Notably, other parts of Malaysia are taking notice and now considering a similar sustainable palm oil strategy.