Cargill Agrees to Sustainable Palm Oil Policy

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Cargill, a palm oil importer and producer, committed to a “Policy on Sustainable Palm Oil" today in response to pressure from Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and other non-governmental organizations around the world.

“This policy commits Cargill to ending its role in deforestation, peat destruction and social exploitation, reflecting the pressure coming from consumer companies like P&G, Unilever, Nestle and others who are acting to cut deforestation from their supply chains," said Bustar Maitar, global head of the Indonesia forest campaign at Greenpeace International. “However, while a good policy is a crucial step, only its credible implementation will bring real change to the palm oil industry."

Cargill’s commitment comes on the heels of the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto (SPOM) announcement earlier this month. While a number of the big palm oil producers that are part of SPOM held off on real commitments to end deforestation, Cargill’s policy is explicit in its pledge to implement the already established High Carbon Stock Approach.

Additional shortcomings include Cargill’s lack of protection for food security, including local control and diversity of food production, as well as silence on if and how this policy will apply to any future plantations Cargill acquires. Greenpeace will continue to critically monitor the action plan Cargill is expected to announce at the end of the year, which must include details of how it will put this policy into practice worldwide, including strict implementation deadlines.