As part of IOI Loders Croklaan’s effort to support the transformation of the palm oil supply chain through supplier engagement, we have created a Supplier Engagement Program with a series of technical work-shops facilitated by Proforest. Topics covered at previous workshops include best management practices for peatland, national and international certification schemes, High Car-bon Stock (HCS) and High Conservation Value (HCV) areas.

On the 10th of July 2017, 70 attendees representing 40 different mills in Sabah participated in the third supplier workshop in Sandakan. The foundation of the work-shop was the recently published Third Party Supplier annex to IOI’s Sustainable Palm Oil Policy (SPOP), which details the requirements and specific mechanisms for the implementation of our SPOP by all third party suppliers.

External Guest Speakers
The workshop focused on several common labor matters within the industry, including minimum wage implementation, minimum housing and amenities for workers, passport retention and zero recruitment fees policy. These topics were dis-cussed from a legal perspective in relation to the MSPO and RSPO certification scheme requirements by guest speakers from the state’s Labor Department and the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council. Representatives from a consumer food manufacturer based in the UK also attended the event to present their Sustainability Policy and discuss their role in the palm oil supply chain.

To conclude the day, the Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests from the Sabah Forestry Department shared the vision, 5 year plan and the priority regions of Sabah State’s initiative to only produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil by 2025 (CSPO2025).