FAQs for Suppliers

If you are interested in becoming our supplier, click here to understand the process and send your company profile to our team.

We inform all potential suppliers of the result of the tender or registration via e-mail and / or telephone. If you are still unsure, please contact the category manager in charge of your account.

If you are an existing supplier, please refer to the ROS portal (link and details provided by your GAR account manager) with specific for information and updates. Otherwise, contact the category manager in charge of your account. Locate your category manager here.

The GAR Social and Environmental Policy (GSEP) is the roadmap guiding us on our sustainability journey. It was created in 2015 when we combined our Forest Conservation, Social and Community Engagement and Yield Improvement policies into a single document for a consistent and holistic approach. It applies to GAR’s entire operations, subsidiaries and suppliers in order to realise GAR’s vision of a sustainable palm oil industry.

Suppliers who meet GSEP requirements will become preferred partners of GAR. With a strong global market requirement for sustainable palm oil, they will also be more attractive to other buyers. Through operating sustainably, suppliers will be able to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and lower risk.

Yes. The GSEP is GAR’s guidelines for its supply chain to produce palm oil sustainably, and not a worldwide policy. ISPO and RSPO are national and global industry certification standards respectively.

Sustainability can be broken down into many different aspects from environmental management to social and community engagement. The GSEP offers a good overview of what sustainability means for our company. Suppliers can find out more about the various types of support services we offer, download useful resources, or contact our support team at [email protected].

We provide a range of support programmes from broad to deep engagement, depending on each supplier’s needs. GAR lends expertise and consultation based on the results of planning sessions with suppliers.

We also have a dedicated e-mail address [email protected] to interact with suppliers.

No. All suppliers are welcome as long as they are open and committed to adopting sustainable production practices.

We have a grievance handling procedure that guides us and suppliers in how to manage issues raised by stakeholders. Suppliers may contact our dedicated support team through [email protected] for more assistance.

Traceability is basically tracking the finished goods we produce back to their origin. For all the palm oil we produce, we want to know where the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) is from, and whether the oil is produced in a sustainable manner, and traceability allows us to know that. Traceability is required by ISPO and RSPO.

The difference between TTP and TTM is how far back we can trace the origin of the finished product.
Palm oil originates as FFB from plantations. They are then separated and crushed to become crude palm oil and palm kernel at mills. The products then go into a refinery to create palm oil and palm kernel oil. Therefore, having traceability to plantation is better because that is the origin of the raw materials of palm oil products (fresh fruit bunches).

GAR helps suppliers understand and implement TTP through standardised reporting formats and extensive training such that suppliers can become trainers for their own supply chains.

Field visit activities are a great way for GAR and its suppliers to share best practices with one another. They are not intended as an audit but are used to find opportunities for both parties to improve.
The main objective of the GAR transformation program is to engage suppliers to collaborate. As such, it is possible for GAR to visit suppliers even after certification.

GAR will not repeat the same process if the supplier has already been visited by another buyer working within the same industry framework. For such instances, the supplier can share results of the other buyer’s visit with GAR instead.

GAR will not penalise suppliers for cases prior to 1 October 2015, which is when our GSEP was formalised. However, for such instances, suppliers must demonstrate the use of best practices for management of peatlands as we will continue to monitor operations closely.

If a supplier had planted in peatland after 1 October 2015, then GAR will expect the supplier to commit to the Re-entry Protocol. Developed by a number of industry actors including GAR and NGO Mighty Earth, the protocol requires the supplier to acknowledge the non-compliant planted area, declare a conservation liability and commit to a compensation project.

Suppliers are advised to follow the RSPO’s New Planting Procedures. The steps include undertaking a comprehensive impact assessment and verification by the certification body before embarking on further expansion plans.