Governance on the ground: case study of sustainable palm oil value chains in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Global demand for palm oil has been increasing over the past decades. Indonesia is the largest producer and exporter of palm oil worldwide. In 2021, the production of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) reached 46.8 million tons, exported primarily to India, EU, China, and South Asia. The boom crop of palm oil has lifted millions of people out of poverty. However, the social and environmental impacts of this expansion make palm oil one of the most controversial commodities traded globally. This research identifies current regulatory and voluntary sustainable instruments in the palm oil sector in Indonesia. This research also investigates architecture, implementation, and actors' compliance with those instruments along the value chains and designing smarter regulations to achieve a more sustainable palm oil supply.

About the speaker

Depi Susilawati is a Postdoctoral Fellow at ANU Regnet School. Before joining RegNet, she was a PhD Scholar at Fenner School of Environment and Society. Her PhD project looks at the architecture, implementation and actors' compliance with legality and sustainability certification in Indonesian wood value chains. Her PhD research has been published in the Forest Policy and Economics, Journal of Cleaner Production, International Forestry Review, and Environmental Science & Policy. Prior to her PhD, Depi has been working on research and training projects for the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, which collaborated with MFP, SNV, RECOFTC, GIZ, and CIFOR-ICRAF. Her previous research is related to sustainable forest management, forest certification, timber legality, community forest, market analysis and development.