Press Releases

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is aware of challenges in the implementation of our pioneering Forest Conservation Policy (FCP), which was launched in 2011. As part of our policy, we have set aside around 30,000 hectares of potential high carbon stock forests in Indonesia for conservation.

The contribution and guidance from Greenpeace and The Forest Trust (TFT) over the years have helped us stay focused in our efforts to deliver traceable, deforestation-free palm oil. We believe that Greenpeace’s suggestions will benefit stakeholders and strengthen our commitments to sustainable palm oil.

We also engage with the Government of Indonesia, civil society organisations, local and indigenous communities, key growers and other stakeholders in the Indonesian palm oil industry. As a business, we also comply with government laws and regulations.

Together with the other signatories to the Indonesia Palm Oil Pledge, GAR commits to improving environmental stewardship, working with Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and other relevant stakeholders to engage the Government of Indonesia to encourage development of policies, legal and regulatory frameworks that promote the implementation of the pledge, expanding social benefits to smallholders, the community and improving the competitiveness of Indonesian Palm Oil.

We appreciate Greenpeace’s constructive feedback in its progress report on GAR. We take the feedback seriously as we strive to improve our operational procedures to ensure effective implementation of our policies.

We are building up trust with local communities in our concessions, and are working closely with TFT, who are assisting us in mediation and dealing with social conflicts. We have also implemented a Social and Community Engagement Policy (SCEP) in 2011, and uphold our principles of engagement to ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

In our effort to be more transparent, we have launched the GAR Sustainability Dashboard, which tracks our progress. This is accessible to the public and updated regularly. We are committed to continually strengthening the implementation of our sustainability goals.

GAR believes that collaboration is the best solution to bring about changes among our third-party suppliers and we work closely with them to ensure their compliance with the FCP. Collaboration with multi stakeholders is equally important to find solutions for sustainable palm oil to conserve forests, create employment and ensure long-term sustainable growth for the industry, which is vital for the Indonesian economy.

In the first quarter of 2015, GAR will publish the final report of the company’s ground breaking forest conservation pilot project at the Kartika Prima Cipta concession in West Kalimantan. The project aims to conserve forests which hold large stores of carbon, and to encourage partnerships between communities and the company to protect them. We published the interim report in October 2013.

For further information, please contact:
Lim Pi Li
Tel: (65) 6590 0859
Mobile: (65) 9669 6681
Email: [email protected]