Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd

1. Sustainable palm oil policy or commitment for all its operations?

The company has an Environmental Sustainability Policy and also a Social and Community Policy.

2. Policy or commitment applies to direct and third-party suppliers?

3. High-level position of responsibility for sustainability?

Head of Sustainability.

4. Sustainability report published within last two years?

Sustainability report included in annual report.

5. Member of multiple industry schemes or other external initiatives to improve sustainability in relation to palm oil?

6. Verification report on compliance with POIG Charter, if a POIG member?

This indicator is disabled as it is not applicable to this company.

7. Activities with government and/or NGOs to improve palm oil sustainability?

8. Total land area managed/controlled for oil palm (ha)?

120297

9. Total oil palm planted area (ha)?

87744

10. Plasma/scheme smallholders planted area (ha)?

2326 - Native Customary Rights (NCR) land development.

11. Unplanted (areas designated for future planting)(ha)?

32553 - Sarawak Oil Palms only states that 32,553 ha are reserves, unplanted and building sites, etc., but it is unclear how much of this has been set aside for future planting.

12. Conservation set-aside area, including HCV area (ha)?

Sarawak Oil Palms only states that 32,553 ha are reserves, unplanted and building sites, etc., but it is unclear if any of this has been set aside specifically for conservation.

13. Area for infrastructure (ha)?

Sarawak Oil Palms only states that 32,553 ha are reserves, unplanted and building sites, etc., but it is unclear how much of this is for infrastructure. Data more than one year old.

14. Number of company owned mills?

7

15. Maps or coordinates of company owned mills?

The company published a static map of their palm oil mills in their Annual Report however their exact locations are unclear. Mill locations are also made available on One Oil Palm Maps Directory, but unclear which mills belong to the company.

16. Number and names of supplier mills?

17. Maps of estates/management units?

Some of the company's concessions are available on Global Forest Watch. The company has published a static map of its locations but it is not at a local scale and the locations cannot be accurately determined. The company's 2015 annual report states "To further improve transparency towards traceable palm products, the GPS coordinates for the Group's palm oil mills, estates, refinery and kernel crushing plants would be made available by 3rd quarter 2016 on its websites.".

18. Maps of scheme/plasma smallholders?

19. Time-bound commitment to achieve 100% traceability to mill level?

2017 - The company states that it is committed to trace the sources of its palm oil products up to the originating palm oil mills and aims to "Build a traceable, transparent and sustainable palm oil supply chain for all palm products produced by SOP group by 2017.".

20. Time-bound commitment to achieve 100% traceability to plantation level?

The company states it is "committed to trace the sources of its palm products to the originating sources" but unclear if this includes traceability to plantation level.

21. Percentage of supply traceable to mill level (above 80%)?

22. Percentage of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) from own mills traceable to plantation level (is above 75%)?

23. Percentage of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) from supplier mills traceable to plantation level (is above 75%)?

24. Commitment to address deforestation?

The company 'strives to' only develop oil palm plantations on 'degraded and logged over land'.

25. Commitment to zero deforestation?

26. Deforestation commitment applies to scheme smallholders and independent suppliers?

27. Criteria for defining deforestation?

Degraded and logged over land.

28. Evidence of monitoring deforestation?

29. Commitment to set aside areas for conservation?

The company states "The group is the process of identifying areas to be set aside for conservation reserves and the outcome is expected to be ready by end of 2017" and "The Group is committed to conserve jungle reserves and wildlife sanctuaries as an integral effort to preserve environment".

30. Evidence of habitat management and/or habitat restoration?

31. A landscape-level approach?

32. Commitment to biodiversity conservation?

33. Commitment to not endanger species of conservation concern, referencing international or national system of species classification?

34. Commitment to no hunting or only sustainable hunting of species?

35. Commitment not to operate within internationally and nationally designated protected areas?

36. Evidence of species conservation activities?

37. Commitment to High Conservation Value (HCV) approach?

38. HCV commitment applies to scheme smallholders and independent suppliers?

39. Commitment to only use licensed High Conservation Value (HCV) assessors accredited by the HCV Resource Network's Assessor Licensing Scheme (ALS)?

The company only states to use RSPO approved consultants to conduct HCV assessments.

40. High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments for planting undertaken prior to January 2015, and associated management and monitoring plans?

41. High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments for all estates planted since January 2015?

42. High Conservation Value (HCV) management and monitoring plans for all estates planted since January 2015?

43. Satisfactory review of all High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments undertaken since January 2015 by the HCV ALS Quality Panel?

44. Commitment to the High Carbon Stock (HCS) approach?

45. High Carbon Stock (HCS) assessments?

46. Commitment to conduct social and environmental impact assessments (SEIAs)?

47. Social and environmental impact assessment (SEIAs) undertaken, and associated management and monitoring plans?

48. Commitment to no planting on peat of any depth?

The company commits to no peat development but it does not specify of any depth.

49. Peat commitment applies to scheme smallholders and independent suppliers?

50. Commitment to best management practices for soils and peat?

51. Landbank or planted area on peat (ha)?

65% - Approximately 65% of the Sarawak Oil Palms 2010 yield was planted on peat. Data more than five years old (2011).

52. Evidence of best management practices for soils and peat?

53. Commitment to zero burning?

54. Zero burning commitment applies to scheme smallholders and independent suppliers?

55. Evidence of management and monitoring fires?

56. Details/number of hotspots/fires in company estates?

57. Details/number of hotspots/fires within surrounding landscape/smallholders?

58. Time-bound commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions?

The company commits to reducing GHG emissions and has a commitment to install biogas plants in the next 5 years to trap methane.

59. GHG commitment applies to scheme smallholders and independent suppliers?

60. GHG emissions?

61. GHG emissions from land use change?

62. Methodology used to calculate GHG emissions?

63. Progress towards commitment to reduce GHG emissions?

64. Percentage of mills with methane capture (is above 75%)?

The company states "The Group has set timeline targets for all of its palm oil mills to have biogas plants installed within the next 5 years to help to trap methane gas and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere".

65. Time-bound commitment to improve water use?

The company only states "One of the efforts of the Group is to optimise use of water by rainwater harvesting".

66. Time-bound commitment to improve water quality?

The company has a commitment to reduce water pollution but it is not time-bound.

67. Progress towards commitment on water use?

68. Progress towards commitment on water quality?

69. Protection of natural waterways through buffer zones?

70. Evidence of treating palm oil mill effluent (POME)?

71. Commitment to minimise the use of chemicals, including pesticides and chemical fertilisers?

The company has a commitment to the 'gradual' reduction of chemicals but does not mention pesticides or fertilisers specifically.

72. No use of paraquat?

73. No use of World Health Organisation (WHO) Class 1A and 1B pesticides?

74. No use of chemicals listed under the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention?

75. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach?

76. Chemical usage per ha or list of chemicals used?

77. Commitment to human rights, referencing the UN Declaration of Human Rights or UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?

The company has a policy which commits to respecting human rights but they do not refer to the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

78. Commitment to respect legal and customary land tenure rights?

79. Commitment to respect indigenous and local communities' rights, referencing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or ILO 169?

80. Commitment to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)?

81. FPIC commitment applies to independent suppliers?

82. Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) process?

83. Process for addressing land conflicts?

84. Commitment to ensure food security for local communities?

85. Commitment to respect all workers' rights?

86. Reference to Fundamental ILO Conventions or Free and Fair Labour Principles?

The company refers to no child labour, minimum age, no forced labour, freedom of association and collective bargaining, no discrimination, but not to equal remuneration.

87. Total number of employees?

10000 - The company states "SOPB Group has more than 10,000 employees" but the figure is undated.

88. Percentage or number of temporary employees?

89. Percentage or number of women employees?

90. Minimum wage that the company pays?

91. Commitment to address occupational health and safety?

92. Lost time accident rate?

93. Number of fatalities as a result of work-based accidents?

94. Provision of personal protective equipment and pesticide training?

95. Member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)?

96. Submitted most recent RSPO Annual Communication of Progress (ACOP)?

97. Listed all countries and regions in which operates in most recent RSPO Annual Communication of Progress (ACOP)?

98. Time-bound plan for achieving 100% RSPO certification of estates within 5 years or achieved 100% RSPO-certification of estates?

99. Time-bound plan for achieving 100% RSPO certification of scheme/associated smallholders within 5 years or achieved 100% RSPO-certification of scheme/associated smallholders?

100. Time-bound plan for achieving 100% RSPO certification of all supply chains?

101. RSPO-certified within three years of joining the RSPO or by November 2010, for companies joining prior to finalisation of the RSPO certification systems in November 2007?

102. Percentage of mills RSPO-certified (is above 75%)?

103. Percentage of area (ha) RSPO-certified (is above 75%)?

104. Percentage of scheme/associated smallholders (ha) RSPO-certified (is above 75%)?

105. Percentage of FFB supply (tonnes) from independent FFB suppliers that is RSPO-certified (is above 75%)?

106. Percentage of all palm oil and oil palm products handled/traded/processed (tonnes) that are RSPO-certified (is above 75%)?

107. Sells or processes/trades RSPO-certified palm oil through Segregated or Identity Preserved supply chains?

108. Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certified (100%)?

This indicator is disabled as it is not applicable to this company.

109. Malaysia Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certified (100%)?

The company states "To-date, four palm oil mills, one Refinery and 54% of the Group's planted areas have been certified under MSPO".

110. Certified under voluntary sustainability certification scheme (e.g. ISCC, SAN, RSB, etc.)?

The company states "To-date, five palm oil mills, one Refinery and 70% of the Group planted areas have been certified under ISCC".

111. Programme to support scheme smallholders?

112. Details of support programme for scheme smallholders?

113. Number or percentage of scheme smallholders involved in programme?

114. Programme to support independent smallholders?

115. Details of support programme for independent smallholders?

116. Number or percentage of independent smallholders involved in programme?

117. Process used to prioritise, assess and/or engage suppliers on compliance with company's policy and/or legal requirements?

The company has organised MSPO seminars for suppliers and smallholders to encourage adoption of sustainable cultivation practices.

118. Suspension or exclusion criteria for suppliers?

119. Number or percentage of suppliers assessed and/or engaged?

Over 380 participants attended a briefing on MSPO certification in September 2016.

120. Commitment to ethical conduct and prohibition of corruption?

121. Whistleblowing procedure?

122. Own grievance or complaints system?

The company's whistleblowing policy states that they have a separate policy for handling employee grievances, but no further information could be found.

123. Grievance system accessible to internal stakeholders (i.e. employees)?

124. Grievance system accessible to external stakeholders?

125. Details of grievances disclosed?