Den markant stigende efterspørgsel efter ansvarligt produceret palmeolie får nu Wilmar International til at forpligte sig på ansvarlighed overfor skov og mennesker. Miljøorganisationer ser det som et stort skridt, men vil se konkret handling.
“No deforestation, No peat, No exploitation” (ingen afskovning, ingen tørv, ingen udnyttelse) bliver den nye politik kaldt af virksomheden.
Ifølge pressemeddelelsen skal den nye politik medvirke til at “imødekomme den stigende efterspørgsel efter ansvarligt produceret vegetabilsk olie”.
“Vi ved fra vores kunder og andre interessenter, at der er en stærk og hurtigt voksende efterspørgsel efter sporbar, afskovnings-fri palmeolie, og vi har til hensigt at imødekomme den som et kerneelement af vores vækststrategi”, siger Kuok Khoon Hong, bestyrelsesmedlem og direktør i Wilmar International.
“Vi kan producere palmeolie på en måde, der beskytter skove, ren luft og lokalbefolkninger, mens vi bidrager til udvikling og velstand i regioner, der dyrker palmeolie”, lyder det yderligere.
Virksomheden er nu blevet medlem af The Forest Trust (TFT), en organisation, der hjælper virksomeder med at levere ansvarlige produkter.
Læs pressemeddelelsen på Wilmars hjemmeside: http://www.wilmar-international.com/
Greenpeace: En milepæl for skoven og dens beboere
Greenpeace skriver bl. a. i en pressemeddelelse:
“Wilmar has responded to years of pressure from Greenpeace, other NGOs, and a growing movement of consumers around the world demanding clean palm oil and an end to forest destruction. Wilmar’s commitment to No Deforestation has the potential to transform the controversial palm oil industry.”
“Wilmar’s policy shows that the sector has a massive problem, and while this policy is great news for forests and tigers, its success will be judged by Wilmar’s actions to implement and enforce it.”
“Our challenge to Wilmar is this: will it now immediately stop buying from companies such as the Ganda Group, which is closely linked to Wilmar and is involved in ongoing forest clearance, illegal peatland development and social conflict?”
Over the last seven years, Greenpeace has repeatedly exposed Wilmar’s role in gross acts of forest destruction; sourcing from national parks, destroying prime tiger habitat, sourcing from suppliers linked to orang-utan ‘graveyards’ or this year’s forest fire crisis in Sumatra, to name a few.
“For years companies, including Wilmar, have been hiding behind so called sustainability bodies such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.”
“Greenpeace will be closely monitoring how Wilmar will put these words into action, and will welcome Wilmar’s immediate end to all trade with companies involved in deforestation. The gauntlet is thrown to other palm oil traders such as Cargill, Musim Mas and Sime Darby to release similar policies,” added Bustar.
The palm oil sector is the greatest single cause of deforestation in Indonesia. Ministry of Forestry maps show that Indonesia is losing some 620,000ha of rainforest every year between 2009-2011 (an area greater than the size of Brunei).
Palm oil’s expansion into New Guinea and Africa is already threatening forests, sparking controversy and conflict with local communities.
Wilmar International accounts for more than a third of global trade of palm oil.
Læs Greenpeaces pressemeddelelse her: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Palm-oil-giant-Wilmar-caves-to-public-pressure-commits-to-end-forests-destruction/
“Wilmar må straks vise, at de tager politikken alvorligt”
Frineds of the International har bl. a. nedenstående kommentarer:
Friends of the Earth has documented several ongoing cases of social and environmental abuse involving Wilmar, its subsidiaries, and its third party suppliers.
These cases demonstrate that Wilmar’s membership in the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil did not prevent it from violating the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities or from deforesting large areas.
In light of this, Wilmar needs to take immediate steps to demonstrate that it takes this new policy seriously.
These steps include bringing an immediate end to conversion of natural forest to plantations; halting its purchasing of palm oil from Bumitama Agri Ltd.; immediate adherence to national laws in Uganda and all the countries where it operates; and the full and demonstrable application of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in all of its operations, including consideration for returning lands which were previously acquired without communities’ consent and through processes which did not respect their ownership rights.
Without these concrete and immediate actions, the statement of Wilmar will be merely greenwash to prevent pressure from civil society groups.
Friends of the Earth will be closely monitoring the implementation of Wilmar’s stated commitments.
Læs Friends of the Earth Internationals pressemeddelelse her: http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/land-grabbing/latest-news/bowing-to-civil-society-pressure-palm-oil-giant-promises-to-end-its-forest-destruction
