The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has been under fire for years: human rights organizations have repeatedly reported violations of labor and human rights standards by RSPO-certified companies. This affects among others workers on palm oil plantations in Guatemala, local indigenous communities and the environment. Research by ECCHR and foodwatch shows that excessive work assignments, payment of inadequate wages and prohibitions on unionization are routine practices on these plantations. In addition, the use of pesticides leads to contamination of the drinking water in the surrounding communities. The focus of criticism is the company NaturAceites, which cultivates palm oil in monoculture plantations whose land was traditionally used by the indigenous population and taken from them against their will. According to reports from local organizations, demonstrations against the land theft have been violently suppressed by security forces and members of the communities are being criminalized and intimidated.
Together with foodwatch and the affected communities, ECCHR submitted a complaint to Edeka under the German Supply Chain Act in January 2024. The supermarket chain was called upon to fulfill its responsibility to safeguard human rights in its palm oil supply chain. Edeka sells products that are manufactured in the Walter Rau Lebensmittel GmbH factory in Hilter, which has been sourcing palm oil from Guatemalan plantations owned by NaturAceites for years.
In the meantime, the RSPO has responded to the allegations regarding NaturAceites and suspended two out of five certificates in August 2024 for a maximum of six months due to serious violations. In order for the certificates to be reinstated, NaturAceites must rectify all the shortcomings before the six-month period expires. NaturAceites has lodged an appeal for the time being.
The affected parties, as well as foodwatch and ECCHR welcome the RSPO's response and expect the RSPO to provide further information on the audits and their results. However, they maintain that the RSPO seal remains an inadequate means of effectively preventing human rights violations and environmental destruction in the palm oil supply chain. Companies cannot evade their duty of care by outsourcing the required inspections to certification initiatives. This is also illustrated by the fact that NaturAceites was able to obtain RSPO certifications, even though the violations uncovered, which are now also recognized by the RSPO, already existed at the time the certification was granted.
A central component of human rights due diligence is the involvement of local communities and affected people. At present, it is completely unclear to what extent Edeka will consult those affected regarding the elimination of the violations and how their land rights are to be recognized.
More on the case here.
