Wilmar Acts Over “Unethical” Palm Oil Suppliers
Singapore’s Wilmar International, the world’s largest palm oil processor, has announced that it has ceased sourcing from suppliers that are allegedly associated with a company that was accused by Greenpeace of causing deforestation. Greenpeace had accused Gama, a palm oil business set up by Wilmar’s co-founder Martua Sitorus and his brother, of causing deforestation in Indonesia. The environmental group said analysis of trade data showed that Wilmar traded palm oil from Gama, despite being aware that Gama was violating Wilmar’s No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy by clearing rainforest. Wilmar has as of June 20 ceased sourcing from all suppliers that are allegedly associated with Gama as identified by Greenpeace, it said in a statement. It said it would not buy from any company that cannot prove to its satisfaction that they do not belong to Gama because of the alleged identified non-compliance with Wilmar’s NDPE policy. It added that it has no control or management over Gama.
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Straits Times