Consultants Needed at IDH-The Sustainable Trade Initiative

IDH-The Sustainable Trade Initiative is an organization (Foundation) that works with businesses, financiers, governments and civil society to realize sustainable trade in global value chains. We believe that action-driven coalitions will drive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals and create value for all.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Consultancy Services for Palm Oil Monitoring Report 2022

Background
Since 2017, IDH and EPOA have been working together on the monitoring of sustainable palm oil in Europe. Over the past years, the quality of the monitoring has improved, providing consistency in the EU data and insights into the market trends in sustainable palm oil. The monitoring report has also been developed in the framework of our cooperation with the national initiatives for sustainable palm oil Europe, which play a key role in increasing awareness of the actions that companies can take in their respective countries.

The market monitoring report is an essential part to improve sector governance and to convene public, private, and civil society stakeholders. The report stimulates a discourse around sustainable production and use of palm oil and ensuring a European market for sustainable palm oil. This report also aims at providing an overview and understanding of the state of the sustainable palm oil sourcing coming into the European market. Based on this state overview, solutions can be derived to help companies based in Europe to improve their sustainable palm oil sourcing.

Objectives
The overall objective of this assignment is to support the IDH, EPOA and RSPO teams with the development of an in-depth analysis of the current trends and developments of the European palm oil market and the palm oil supply chain. The report aims to be focused primarily on the trends of the sector, the social and environmental aspects linked to palm oil production and palm oil sourcing from the European market (i.e. sustainable palm oil uptake).

Scope of the Assignment
The specific objectives below describe the overall scope of work on which future assignments will be based on. The strategy should be designed to help IDH, EPOA and RSPO address the following (but not limited to) critical guiding questions:

1.) On the palm oil market:

• Provide an overview of the global palm oil market trends and the position of Europe in it.
• Provide an analysis of relevant trends for sustainable palm oil: what are the implications for those market trends for advancing sustainable palm oil?
• Provide an analysis on the effects of the recent supply chain disruptions and shortages on the vegetable oils markets and the position of palm oil in it

2.) On the monitoring of sustainably certified palm oil:

• In accordance with methodology used for the 2020 report: What is the uptake of RSPO certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO, CSPKO & CSPKE) for food, feed and oleochemical in Europe for 2021?
• What are the certified production areas for RSPO, MSPO and ISPO in the global market for
• 2021?
• Besides the certified production areas: are there any relevant outcomes achieved from the regions where Europe is sourcing its palm oil from?

3.) State of the art of the European sustainable palm oil ecosystem:

• Provide overview of relevant tools and initiatives (like National Initiatives) for European companies to advance in their palm oil sustainability journey

4.) On the monitoring of palm oil supply chains:

• What is the role of traceability in the palm oil supply chains for the European market? (Provide an overview of the different traceability tools and relevant developments/advancements when compared to previous report)
• Provide data on NDPE, Traceability to Mills (TTM) and Traceability to Plantations (TTP) for the European market and the global market

5.) On upcoming EU legislation:

• On the EC proposal for a directive for Social Corporate Due Diligence:
  • What are the main effects which can be foreseen for the European palm oil value chain as a result of the proposed directive?
  • To what extent can the proposed directive help European palm oil companies improve their sourcing of sustainable palm oil?
  • What are the associated risks of the proposed directive that the European companies should be aware of?
  • What role can certification schemes play to support European companies to be compliant with the proposed directive?
  • Provide an overview of relevant tools (both European and global) for European companies to support them with the implementation of the proposed directive.
• On the EC proposal for a regulation on the making available on the Union market as well as export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation:
  • What are the main effects which can be foreseen for the European palm oil value chain as a result of the proposed regulation?
  • What will be the effects of the proposed regulation in particular on the RSPO’s Mass Balance and Credit supply chain models?
  • To what extent can the deforestation due diligence legislation help companies based in Europe to improve their sourcing of sustainable palm oil?
  • Provide overview of relevant tools of current state of play for companies based in Europe to mitigate deforestation risks

6.) On landscape and jurisdictional approaches:

• How is it done? Who is involved? Where is it taking place? Are there relevant new developments?
• Provide 3 relevant examples of landscape or jurisdictional approaches.
• What is the percentage of European companies in the palm oil supply chain involved in landscape and jurisdictional approaches for the European and global markets?

7.) On social inclusion:

• What are the current social issues in the commodity sourcing to the European market?
• What are the impacts of these social issues for the commodity sourcing to the European market?
• What is the current state of play of a gender transformative approach in the commodity sourcing to the European market?
• What steps can and should be taken to ensure a gender transformative approach for the palm oil market in Europe?

Consultant Profile
The consultant(s) need(s) to have the following experience / knowledge:

• Demonstrated experience supported by portfolio developing deliverables described in section 3.
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with an international organization.
• Demonstrated experience in producing public-facing reports for an international organization.
• Understanding of IDH, EPOA and RSPO mission and international context.
• Understanding and experience in quantitative and qualitative in-depth analysis on supply chains.
• Demonstrable understanding of the language of sustainability, especially regarding Agricommodity supply chains, especially for palm oil.
• Demonstrable and quantifiable experience in data collection on sustainability research and more specifically in the Agri-commodity sector.

The consultant(s) need(s) to have the following skills:

• Good interpersonal and quantitative and qualitative analytic skills
• Solid technical skills in the production of the assigned analysis.
• Advanced skill in producing an in-depth report on Agri-commodity supply chains for palm oil.
• Excellent command of English.

The consultant(s) need(s) to have the following characteristics:

• Be able to understand and follow briefings in English and revise products according to feedback
• Be able to adhere to the parties writing style.
• Have the capacity and equipment needed to carry out the assignment.
• Be able to adapt to changing needs as the assignment evolves.
• Knowledgeable about current trends in styles and genres related to the writing of reports in the sustainability sector.
• Ability to guide the creative process to ensure an optimal standard while remaining open to feedback.

Application Closing Date
29th April, 2022.

Submission of Documents
The Parties are requesting the consultants to hand in a proposal of a maximum of 4 pages (excluding CVs, sample work and references). The proposal must be handed in PDF-format to Margaux Duchâtel at: duchatel@idhtrade.org with the subject line “IDH, EPOA and RSPO Palm Oil Report 2022”.

Click Here (PDF) for a detailed description of the document.