Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)  is multistakeholder group  established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products with the use of best practices.   RSPO was established following concern from non-governmental agencies that palm oil produces were producing both negative environmental and social impact  during their  operations. RSPO developed a set of environmental and social  standards which companies comply with in order to produce certified sustainable Palm Oil .These criteria can help to minimize the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil producing regions.

Achieving RSPO certification has been a lengthy but satisfying journey for Twifo Oil Palm Plantations Ltd (TOPP) in Ghana, who initiated their certification process in 2011. TOPP with support from Unilever began the certification process  for the estate(4547ha)  and scheme  smallholder (1334ha) with 255 farmers  with an RSPO Baseline Assessment audit by PROFOREST in 2011.  This revealed a number of major and minor non-compliances. An internal management team of seven ‘RSPO Champions’ was set up to spearhead the journey to address them and achieve certification.

During the early stages, the company  needed continuous training and stakeholder engagement as not everyone in our workforce or the surrounding communities fully understood the new ways of working, especially in buffer zones and conservation areas. TOPP had to put in a lot of effort  to meet the certification requirements, such as the mandatory High Conservation Value (HCV) and Social Impact Assessments (SIA).” 

TOPP effort  paid off when it got certified in 2017.  This was a huge accomplishment for the company and the RSPO Champions team who led the process. The company is extremely grateful for the backing of Unilever who helped us obtain technical assistance from PROFOREST and the Solidaridad Network for training, capacity building and surveillance audits, as well as for the support given to us by Tettey & Associates and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Ghana Soil Research Institute”. Since achieving certification, TOPP continues to work to improve operations and also  how the Corporate Social Responsibility policy and Social Impact Assessment has helped TOPP to enhance community relations, creating a positive and more harmonious environment between the company and local people. Buyers offer premium to TOPP for sourcing certified oil palm products. We receive easier market access to international markets because the company is certified.

Again in 2021, TOPP’s effort backed by Unilever,  initiated the RSPO certification for their independent smallholder farmers .The independent farmer group with a membership of 997 farmers called the Oil Palm Outgrower Association(OPAO)  appointed TOPP as the group manager. OPOA got certified in 2023.As a result, TOPP became, the only oil palm plantation in Ghana to get their independent smallholders RSPO certified. Certified farmers can now have access to premium markets, improve productivity, protect the environment and promote social sustainability.