Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme Frameworks and Impacts: A Systematic Literature Review

Norhana Abdul Majid, Zaimah Ramli, Sarmila Md Sum and Abd Hair Awang
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Norhana Abdul Majid: Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Zaimah Ramli: Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Sarmila Md Sum: Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
Abd Hair Awang: Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Sustainability certification schemes were introduced to the palm oil industry as a response to address the negative environmental and social impacts associated with the development of this industry. The first certification scheme for palm oil, the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), was established in 2004, followed by other non-governmental initiatives to ensure the sustainable production of palm oil. Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest palm oil producers in the world, established Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) in 2011 and 2015, respectively. This article aims to analyze the existing literature related to studies on the RSPO, MSPO and ISPO on the basis of articles identified from the SCOPUS (scopus.com) and Web of Science (clavirate.com) databases. Results showed that research on the RSPO has been widely conducted compared with that on MSPO and ISPO. Thus, further research on MSPO and ISPO is needed to understand the dynamics of the implementation of sustainability certification. This article also provides an insight on how sustainable certification in the palm oil industry, particularly MSPO, could contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords: agriculture sustainability; palm oil; Malaysia sustainable palm oil; round-table of sustainable palm oil; sustainability certification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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