Olam Appointed To Two United Nations Sustainability Advisory Committees

21 Mar 2014 --- Olam International Limited, a leading agribusiness operating across the value chain in 65 countries, has been invited to join the Steering Committee of the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate and has been elected to the Advisory Committee of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP). Olam was selected due to its deep understanding and on-ground experience of seed to shelf food supply chains.

The CEO Water Mandate, which Olam endorsed in 2013, is a UN Global Compact initiative that engages global industry leaders for water security.

The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) is a multi-stakeholder partnership, co-convened by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the International Rice Research Institute to facilitate wide-scale adoption of sustainable best practices in rice.

Rajeev Raina, Global Head of Farming, Olam said: “As the second largest distributor of rice in the world, Olam is ideally placed to contribute to the SRP’s vision of resource efficiency and sustainability both on-farm and throughout the rice value chain. We look forward to contributing to the advancement of rice sustainability standards and proven best practices for the industry.”

Chris Brown, Olam’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Environment Manager and a member of the CEO Water Mandate Committee, said: “The reliable supply and quality of water are business imperatives for the resilience of Olam’s supply chains and future of global food security, notably for staple crops such as rice. Simultaneously serving these UN committees allows Olam to collaborate at the highest level with like-minded organisations as we progress towards our goal of end-to-end sustainable supply chains by 2020. Equally, by supporting initiatives such as the UN’s World Water Day this Saturday (March 22), we are able to engage our staff at a grass roots level with learnings and best practice.”

Launched in July 2007 by the UN Secretary-General, the CEO Water Mandate is a unique public-private initiative designed to assist companies in the development, implementation, and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. The CEO Water Mandate recognizes that the business sector, through the production of goods and services, impacts water resources – both directly and through supply chains. Endorsing CEOs acknowledge that in order to operate in a more sustainable manner, and contribute to the vision of the UN Global Compact and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, they have a responsibility to make water-resources management a priority, and to work with governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to address this global water challenge.

The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) is a multi-stakeholder partnership to promote resource efficiency and sustainability both on-farm and throughout the rice value chain. SRP was co-convened by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the International Rice Research Institute in December 2011. By the end of 2016, SRP aims to offer the global rice supply chain a proven system of sustainability standards, practices, and alternative incentive mechanisms to facilitate wide-scale adoption of sustainable best practices in rice.