• What is the governance model for palm oil in Ecuador?
  • In Ecuador, palm oil governance is increasingly driven by a transnational regime of private and public institutions of governance. The state has pursued an alternative model of governance that harmonizes private regulatory instruments with national economic plans.
  • Will Ecuador’s palm oil count towards red’s sustainability targets?
  • A new ruling holds that while the EU will continue to import palm oil from countries like Ecuador, this input will no longer ¡®count¡¯ towards RED sustainability targets from 2030 onward ( EU, 2019 ).
  • Can forced labor be used in the oil palm sector?
  • Refer to Ministerial Agreement 060 that defines the Contracting of Workers of the Oil Palm Sector. Under no circumstance will forced labor be used according to conventions 29 and 105 of the ILO and others.
  • What are the benefits of ‘regionalizing’ palm oil governance?
  • ¡®Regionalizing¡¯ palm oil governance has the positive potential to 1) encourage greater compliance with environmental laws and regulations, for example, obtaining mandatory environmental licenses 2) reduce financial and institutional certification barriers for smallholders since local companies and governments are covering costs and leading the way.
  • Is Ecuador institutionalizing RSPO standards?
  • On a national scale, the government of Ecuador has moved to institutionalize RSPO standards in both national economic plans and regional environmental policies to bolster and guide sustainability objectives in those areas (see Fig. 1 ).
  • Can RSPO endorsed palmghg be used as a monitoring tool?
  • For 5.6.3 (GHG): For the implementation period until December 31st, 2016, an RSPO-endorsed modified version of PalmGHG which only includes emissions from operations (including soil use practices) can be used as a monitoring tool. Preamble Plans to reduce pollution and emissions, including greenhouse gases, are developed,