Eco-Business

Palm oil players are required to prove that their products are deforestation-free beyond the standards of current certification schemes, says a Wilmar International representative. It might lead to these schemes losing their relevance.

Palm oil estate owned by Golden Agri-Resources in West Kalimantan

The withdrawal of Singapore-based Golden Agri-Resources and Malaysia's IOI Group from the High Carbon Stock Approach has raised concern among environmental groups that palm oil companies are weakening their sustainability pledges. It also casts a cloud over voluntary initiatives to curb deforestation.

A German NGO is working with partners in Malaysian Borneo to buy up former plantations and reforest them, creating wildlife corridors between protected areas.

An independent palm oil farmer in Indonesia.

Indonesia's smallholders union says small farmers "deserve" help from Big Palm Oil to comply with new EU regulations because of historical exploitation. A palm oil firm says the law could undo years of progress in including smallholders in the global supply chain.

By Hans Nicholas Jong

By Raja Aiman

By Maurício Brum and Sílvia Lisboa

By Samantha Ho

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Nature and climate are facing crises, and business has a key role to play. The Science Based Targets Network enables companies and cities to play a vital role in creating an equitable, nature positive, net-zero future using science-based targets. By Erin Billman

Investors are wary of palm oil due to its social and environmental ills. But given the lack of viable alternatives and the possibility of sustainable production, investors may wish to view certified palm oil in a different light. By Roan du Feu

Import bans bring social issues to the fore forcing agribusiness to assess their obligations to their workforces. Are such regulatory bans the best way to address the social issues prevalent in the industry? By Khor Yu Leng, Segi Enam, Nadirah Sharif, Segi Enam, Siti Bazilah, Singapore Institute of International Affairs

When forced labour practices are part of supply chains, it is reasonable to ascertain that environmental degradation may be present too. By Anna Moore

By Jason Loh

By Rhett A. Butler

By Helen Mountford and Molly Bergen

By Matthias Diemer

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Simon Lord and Pamela Mar on Sustainability One on One

In the first in a new video series where sustainability leaders interview each other about the toughest things about their jobs, Simon Lord of Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby Plantation went head to head with Pamela Mar of Hong Kong-based textile and apparel giant Fung Group.

EB Studio Smallholder fish farmers in rural Kalimantan are turning towards sustainability, with some assistance from an agribusiness company.

Jali, founder of transport cooperative Parung Jaya Cooperative, speaks to one of his drivers

EB Studio What does it mean to build a clean and fair palm oil supply chain? For drivers in Indonesia used to unsafe working conditions, this is what it could look like.

Daughter Riri Damayanti (left) and her father Syamsul Bahri (right) are colleagues at a palm oil company in South Sumatra.

EB Studio What has been the effect of this agribusiness company's dual-income policy on the households of its Indonesian workers?

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Palm oil farmers working with Natural Habitats

Some environmentalists would argue that there's no such thing as sustainably grown palm oil, because of the crops links to deforestation and human rights abuses. Eco-Business spoke to Monique van Wijnbergen about how palm can be done right.

EB Studio Should the priority be to stop all child labour on palm oil plantations? Or to address the root causes of child labour?

EB Studio Smallholders have taken much of the blame for this year's haze-causing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. How can they be motivated to switch to more sustainable, fire-free production methods?

oil palm plantation workers take a rest from work

EB Studio As global attention focuses on forests and the plight of orangutans, the untold part of the palm oil story is people. What is the industry doing to protect palm oil workers' rights and those of the people who defend their land as the industry expands?

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