Malaysia’s Sabah state commits to follow EU lead on palm oil sustainability

In Malaysia, on the back of pressure from the European Parliament regarding sustainability of palm oil for biofuels, the state of Sabah has made a commitment to have 100% of its palm oil certified by the Parliament’s proposed single palm oil certification scheme by 2025, rather than the Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil  (MSPO) certification scheme, in hopes of protecting its access to the EU market. About 30% of the country’s palm oil is produced in the state. The state suffered greatly when EU countries boycotted its timber industry during a six-month period in the 1990s when its sustainability certification had lapsed, and it doesn’t want to repeat the experience.