APOA, CPOPC and Solidaridad Join Forces for Sustainable Palm Oil Supply

New Delhi | 25 September 2025: The Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA), the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), and Solidaridad Network Asia Limited (SNAL) have signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen sustainability across the palm oil value chain. The partnership aims to harmonize national sustainability standards, improve traceability, and support smallholders, with a special focus on India and South Asia.

Focus on Resilience, Fairness and Inclusion

The MoU creates a formal platform for producers and consumers to collaborate. It addresses market volatility, ensures fair trade, and promotes smallholder inclusion. The initiative will align national sustainability frameworks, including:

• Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO)
• Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO)
• Indian Palm Oil Sustainability (IPOS)

The collaboration also prioritizes regenerative practices, ensuring that sustainability is practical for producers and meaningful for buyers.

Traceability and Digital Tools

To provide stability for over 1.5 billion consumers in South Asia, the partnership will promote NDPE-compliant sourcing (No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation). Practical pilots will use Solidaridad’s SoliTrace tool and remote-sensing solutions to ensure mill-to-market visibility. Indian importers will benefit from customized dashboards to track compliance.

Governance and Oversight

A Joint Working Group, co-chaired by APOA and CPOPC with Solidaridad as the Technical Secretariat, will:

• Monitor progress
• Oversee workplans
• Coordinate communications and advocacy efforts

Leaders’ Statements

Atul Chaturvedi, Chairman, APOA, said:

“This partnership provides a formal platform for producers and consumers to work together, strengthen market stability, and foster responsible palm oil production in South Asia.”

Dr. B.V. Mehta, Executive Director, Solvent Extractors’ Association of India, added:

“The initiative gives Indian and South Asian consumers clear, evidence-based information about palm oil’s nutritional profile and its role in affordable edible oils.”

Izzana Salleh, Secretary General, CPOPC, said:

“This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to fair trade, sustainable production, and inclusion of smallholders in the palm oil sector.”

Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay, Managing Director, Solidaridad Asia, commented:

“Consumers deserve palm oil that is affordable, traceable, and responsibly produced. Our role is to support producers and build confidence across the supply chain.”

Why This Partnership Matters

• Stable supply and market confidence: Joint producer-consumer dialogue will reduce price volatility and improve logistics and policy clarity.
• Sustainability with inclusion: Farmers will receive training on regenerative practices and gain access to finance to meet market standards.
• Traceability and trust: Digital pilots will define chain-of-custody rules and create buyer-facing dashboards.
• Policy coherence: Partners will coordinate positions at global platforms and provide guidance for Indian public procurement standards.

About the Partners

• APOA: Represents consumer markets in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Hosted under India’s Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA).
• CPOPC: Intergovernmental organization led by Indonesia and Malaysia, representing producer priorities.
• Solidaridad: Provides technical support on sustainability standards, traceability, and smallholder inclusion using data-driven tools like SoliTrace.

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