The world’s second largest palm oil company has agreed with The Forest Trust (TFT) to conserve vulnerable forests in Indonesia.
The new partnership established a Forest Conservation Policy and a set of measures to ensure Golden Agri-Resources Ltd’s (GAR) plantations are not developed at the expense of carbon-rich forests.
“Today’s agreement represents a revolutionary moment in the drive to conserve forests,” said TFT executive director Scott Poynton.
“It’s about going to the root causes of deforestation; we have shown that the destruction of forests is anchored deeply in the supply chains of the products we consume in industrialised nations and we are showing we can do something about that.”
Mr Poynton said rainforests across South-east Asia were being torn up to provide land for oil palm plantations.
He said the model with GAR, the largest palm oil producer in Indonesia, need not be confined to palm oil but any product with a link to forest destruction could choose a similar supply chain approach.
