Unilever will support the restoration of wildlife habitat and help 60,000 hectares of palm oil plantations to achieve sustainability certification; Walmart continues to encourage suppliers to address deforestation through Project Gigaton
Press Release
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Thursday September 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Today, at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco, USA, Unilever committed to supporting work in Sabah, Malaysia as part of the strategy to achieving a deforestation free supply chain and further reducing emissions. Unilever will help sustainably certify 60,000 hectares in Sabah, Malaysia as part of a program led by Forever Sabah, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia and PONGO Alliance.
In April, Greenpeace released video footage showing that a palm oil supplier for major food companies, the Hayel Saeed Anam Group was destroying large swaths of rainforest in Indonesia, despite concerted efforts by industry stakeholders to stop forest destruction in palm oil supply chains. The repercussions for Hayel Saeed Anam Group are still unfolding, but recent history suggests that the outcome may well involve financial consequences.
PepsiCo, FEMEXPALMA and Proforest are collaborating to pave the way to sustainable sourcing in Mexico
Article
With the objective of sharing best practices and developing the capacity of future assessors in High Conservation Value (HCV), PepsiCo and FEMEXPALMA, in collaboration with Proforest, have carried out a HCV course from October 2-6, 2017 in Palenque, Chiapas.
The course, which represents part of PepsiCo’s wider pathway to sustainably sourcing 100 percent of palm oil by 2020, was attended by 17 participants from Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica and from across different fields, including environmental consulting, academia and professionals in the oil palm sector.
By Sofia Faruqi, manager, New Restoration Economy, World Resources Institute
Hundreds of people have died in northern Kenya in recent months due to conflict between armed cattle herders and the wildlife conservation community. During my visits to this part of Kenya over the last two years, I was surprised to find livestock in a region renowned for wildlife. The grasslands are home not only to elephants and zebras but also to cows and goats.
Collaboration will strengthen operations with more than 480 smallholder farmers
Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS, June 8 2017 /3BL Media/ – Cargill, in collaboration with the international nonprofit Solidaridad and the Colombian-based international trading company, C.I. Biocosta S.A., announced today a new palm oil smallholder sustainability program in Colombia aimed at improving agricultural practices and farmer livelihoods. The two-year effort will strengthen operations in cooperation with more than 480 palm farmers through training and technical assistance.
Certification Reaches 21% Penetration of Global Market
Blog
Food, Cosmetics, and Energy Sectors All Benefitting from Increased Availability of Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
Industry by industry, third-party certification of sustainability performance is increasingly helping to move the dial toward more responsible production and supply chain practices in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Nowhere is this more apparent that in the case of palm oil.
141 independent oil palm smallholders in Perak get RSPO certification
Press Release
KUALA LUMPUR, March 6, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Cargill, in partnership with Wild Asia, has helped 141 independent oil palm smallholder farmers in Perak receive the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification under the Wild Asia Group Scheme (WAGS). Fifty of these farmers are from indigenous communities in Perak. This brings the total number of RSPO-certified independent smallholders under the WAGS to 175.
HSBC recently pledged to cut ties with companies connected to deforestation for palm oil in major production zones. The decision followed a report from Greenpeace that highlighted HSBC’s connection with palm oil companies involved in the destruction of rainforests.
The European Safety Authority (ESFA) released a report last year highlighting the potential health hazards posed by the consumption of harmful compounds found in refined vegetable oils. The negative and often misleading news media coverage of Nutella that resulted was so strong that Ferrero (the manufacturer of Nutella), experienced a decrease in product sales.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is an organization dedicated to “transforming the market to make sustainable palm oil the norm.” To accomplish this goal, the RSPO monitors how their efforts affect the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit.
