SMART Receives RSPO Certification

Date:19 September 2011

Type:Business News

Source:Food Ingredients First

Sector:Fats & Oils

Summary:Our sustainability efforts are guided by our internal values and principles since we commenced oil palm planting and we will take a leadership role in working with multi-stakeholders to find solutions toward sustainable palm oil productions.

Sep 19 2011 --- PT SMART Tbk (SMART), subsidiary of Golden Agri- Resources Limited (GAR) announces that it has received Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification.

The certification covers 14,955 ha of plantations and one mill under SMART in North Sumatra, and are the first palm oil operations from GAR to receive the RSPO certification. This certification is part of the ongoing certification of SMART and another GAR subsidiary, PT Ivo Mas Tunggal, which covers 103,953 hectares of plantations and 11 mills. This brings GAR closer to its overall target of obtaining RSPO certification for all its palm oil operations by December 2015.

Said Mr Daud Dharsono, President Director of SMART: "The RSPO is among the leading international standards for sustainable palm oil and we remain committed to working towards RSPO certification for the remaining palm oil operations by December 2015. Our sustainability efforts are guided by our internal values and principles since we commenced oil palm planting and we will take a leadership role in working with multi-stakeholders to find solutions toward sustainable palm oil productions."

GAR has engaged international NGO, The Forest Trust (TFT) to help the company prepare for RSPO certification for the rest of its existing 433,200 hectares of palm oil plantations and 42 mills (as at June 2010) by December 2015. This includes about 89,000 hectares of plasma scheme plantations involving about 45,000 smallholders. TFT has developed an overall gap assessment and a time-bound plan which were submitted to RSPO by GAR at the end of March 2011 and progress of this will be tracked closely. The palm oil operations established beyond 30 June 2010 will be part of a separate time-bound plan.

GAR is committed to complying with the national laws and regulations in Indonesia and the RSPO Principles and Criteria. As part of its holistic approach to sustainability, GAR together with TFT has launched its Forest Conservation Policy and is in the process of developing its Yield Improvement Policy and Social and Community Engagement Policy.