Greenpeace Blockades IOI in Rotterdam

27 Sep 2016 --- Greenpeace activists have closed off access for all imports and exports from palm oil trader IOI in the harbour of Rotterdam, palm oil’s gateway into Europe. Palm oil from companies involved in forest destruction, peatland fires and child labour is still flowing into Europe and the US through IOI facilities, a new report by Greenpeace International has revealed.

Greenpeace has delivered IOI a way to lift the blockade, by leaving a statement on its doorstep for the company to sign and by doing so commit to a sustainable palm oil supply chain. If IOI agrees publicly to commit to protect forests, Greenpeace say they will end the action and lift the blockade.

Palm oil is a commodity used in more than half of popular supermarket products, ranging from biscuits and chocolate to shampoo and baby powder.

Two Indonesian men who are blocking access to the refinery along with eight activists. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza has moored to the dock at the back of the refinery, preventing palm oil being unloaded from incoming oil tankers.

The Indonesian men have traveled from West Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo to the Netherlands to bring their protest against IOI to the company’s European base. One of the men is Nilus Kasmi. Fires allegedly caused Kasmi and his family hardship last year – they were exposed to the toxic particles and fumes which closed schools, offices and brought business to a standstill. 

"I had hoped the government and companies could resolve the fire crisis, but their failure to do so made me realise I have a responsibility to preserve Indonesian forests," said Kasmi. Both he and his companion Adi Prabowo have been trained by Greenpeace to locate, prevent and extinguish fires.

"Palm oil trader IOI is unknown to the general public. This serves the company well, as it can get away with practices that could not bear public scrutiny," said Annisa Rahmawati, forest campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia. "Together we will change that. IOI should know that the world is watching and that there is no market for palm oil that is so destructive to Indonesia, the habitat of endangered species, our shared climate and the people of South East Asia."

"We are not anti-palm oil, but we know its production can and must be sustainable. It is entirely possible to grow the palm oil industry without clearing or burning more forest," said Annisa. "The dirty practices of companies like IOI and its suppliers are morally objectionable, economically harmful and unnecessary. Moreover, consumers are unknowing and unwilling accomplices to these practices."
 
Earlier this year the RSPO withdrew IOI's 'sustainability certification' after allegations the company had planted palm crops on peatland and illegally chopped down rainforests in Indonesia.
 
RSPO announced in August that IOI had satisfied conditions for the suspension to be lifted, a move that has sparked sharp criticism from environmental groups.

IOI Group Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement: "We are confident that IOI Group and IOI Plantations will work with the complainant and RSPO to agree on an action plan to resolve this matter. We will closely monitor this process and the progress made. We will continue our efforts to serve our customers in jointly finding solutions to minimize disruptions to their supply chain. These solutions will take into account the instructions we have received from RSPO."   

FoodIngredientsFirst reached out to IOI Loders Croklaan for comment on the protests. 

They responded by saying: "IOI Group acknowledges the report from Greenpeace and shares a similar top line analysis of the industry challenges related to ensuring compliance by third party suppliers. We agree that monitoring these suppliers, imposing and verifying zero deforestation and no planting on peat policies, and using the threat of commercial sanction can only be done if there is an industry-wide approach to tackling these complex issues."

"It is clear that despite the many achievements of several companies’ No Deforestation, No Planting on Peat and No Exploitation policies, industry-wide collaboration is critically needed. IOI fully accepts its own responsibilities as a producer and trader of palm oil. In this respect, IOI accepts Greenpeace’s challenge to use its voice and influence to help achieve the outcomes both IOI and Greenpeace desire."

They also stated: "With regard to the 15 specific points Greenpeace has made on page 45 of its report, IOI Group has already committed to take action on several of these as part of its Sustainability Implementation Plan (SIP) and Policy (SPOP), announced in August this year. We accept that there is always more we can do as a company. We will shortly be publishing an update to our stakeholders detailing the progress that has been made on these commitments since they were announced."

by Elizabeth Kenward