RSPO Latin America has announced that the first Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Trademark in the region has been officially adopted in Colombia by C.I. Unibán (Unibán), through its snack brand, Turbana. The plantain and cassava chips snack, which have been around for 13 years, now bears the RSPO Trademark on its packaging and is currently distributed in various international markets including Colombia, the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, the United States (US), and soon Brazil.
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C.I. Unibán S.A. is an international trading company based in Colombia, specialized in the development of high-value agribusiness activities and logistics services, leading the production and trading of bananas, plantains, and exotic fruits. The company has over 40 products carrying the RSPO Trademark being sold in different markets.
RSPO certification has enabled us to maintain existing business relationships that have started to demand this (RSPO) certification as an indispensable requirement for us to continue working with them. This will also help continue our internationalization in markets where there is heightened environmental awareness and where palm oil is being examined closely today. In addition to being a very important benefit, it is something that will gain prominence over the years, said Andres Gomez Chavarriaga, Commerical Manager at Unibán.
Colombia’s first trademark adoption further strengthens the encouraging developments in Latin America, which is now the fastest-growing region with respect to certification. In February 2021, RSPO’s Latin American members hit a milestone of 1.5 million tonnes of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO).
At present, there are 31 certified growers in the region from Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico with a total of over 420 500 hectares (ha) of certified land, representing 30 percent of the region being RSPO certified.
Looking ahead, RSPO Latin America is aiming to reach 50 percent CSPO as part of the continued rapid growth of certification in the region.
It is gratifying to see that RSPO certification is opening doors to the global market for Latin American consumer goods manufacturers. Using the RSPO Trademark on snacks produced by Uniban for local-regional consumers is a clear sign that further demonstrates the company’s leadership and growing awareness towards sustainable palm oil products in Latin America, said Francisco Naranjo, Head of RSPO Latin America.
