Nursery oil palm plantation
Photo by Soo Ann Woon
A partnership between BASF, The Estée Lauder Companies and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) along with Solidaridad, a civil society organisation, will work to promote the use and production of sustainable palm oil and derivatives in Waykanan district, Lampung, Indonesia.
The project is there to provide support to independent smallholder farmers in the Indonesian region, offering continuous education and other resources on the implementation and maintenance of sustainable palm oil. The target of the project is to see a minimum of one-third of the supported smallholders becoming certified according to the Smallholder Standard of RSPO within three years.
The European companies and organisations are collaborating with the government of Indonesia to foster a sustainable palm oil production chain cin Lampung that is competitive in the global market and free from deforestation, as well as increasing social and economic benefits for farmers.
“Most major European companies have committed to using sustainable palm oil exclusively," said Heske Verburg, Managing Director, Solidaridad Europe. "We are delighted that BASF and The Estée Lauder Companies are reaching beyond just purchasing sustainably, by providing direct support for sustainable palm oil projects. When palm oil is produced sustainably, and in a future-proof manner, it can actually contribute to resolving grave issues for both farmers and the environment.”
“We are thrilled to partner with BASF and Solidaridad on this important initiative to support Indonesian smallholder farmers,” said Greg Polcer, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain, at The Estée Lauder Companies. “So many livelihoods in this community are inextricably tied to the production and we support ensuring that it is produced sustainably – both for the long-term benefit to the environment and for the long-term benefit to the community itself.”
“Approximately 40% of the world palm production comes from smallholder farmers who rely on it for their livelihoods,” said Daniele Piergentili, Vice President, Home and Personal Care at BASF in North America. “The partnership with Estée Lauder, Solidaridad and RSPO enables us to support these farmers and at the same time increase the availability of sustainably produced palm oil.”
"For sustainable production to become mainstream and fully inclusive, the RSPO believes it is imperative to support smallholders through a variety of different approaches, including the RSPO Smallholder Support Fund (RSSF),” said Ashwin Selvaraj, Head of Smallholder Unit in the RSPO Secretariat. “This collaborative project in Lampung is a great opportunity to scale up sustainable practices, protect natural resources and bring more smallholders under certification through RSPO Best Management Practices.”
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