SINGAPORE (May 2): Olam International says its Mouila Lot 3 palm plantation in Gabon has become Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified.
The 38,363 hectare (ha) palm plantation is managed by Olam Palm Gabon, a joint venture between Olam and the Republic of Gabon, and has a total planted area of 18.272 ha, out of which 18,765 ha of high conservation value (HCV) is being conserved.
The remaining area comprises infrastructure comprises facilities, roads and housing.
Based on the RSPO greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator, the plantation is expected to make a net positive climate impact by fixing 236,000 metric tonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years.
In a press release on Thursday, Olam says Mouila Lot 3 is the third plantation to become RSPO-certified, including the renewed RSPO certification for its Mouila Bilala palm oil mill.
This also brings Olam’s total RSPO-certified concession area to a total of 94,000 ha, and makes the group the largest certified producer in Africa with a production capacity of 74,000 MT of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) as well as 13,000 MT of certified sustainable palm kernel oil (CSPKO).
“We are proud to be at the forefront of implementing sustainable practices on our plantations that are positively contributing to protecting landscapes and to supporting communities in Gabon. This certification is the most recent milestone in our continued progress towards sustainable palm production and sourcing, both on our own plantations and through our third-party supply chain”, comments Supramaniam Ramasamy, Olam’s global head of plantations.
In this week’s issue of The Edge Singapore, we discuss recent criticism heaped on the palm oil industry’s practices, and how boycotting or restricting demand for the commodity does not make it more sustainable.
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