SANDAKAN: Wilmar International Ltd (Wilmar) has developed an online reporting tool to help Malaysian palm oil suppliers meet the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) national certification criteria.
The Supplier Reporting Tool (SRT) enables suppliers to assess their performance based on MSPO requirements and Wilmar’s own No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy.
In a statement yesterday, Wilmar’s Group Sustainability general manager, Perpetua George said the SRT allowed the company to determine the compliance level of suppliers and assist those with lower scores to overcome setbacks in complying with sustainability requirements.
She said Wilmar, the world’s largest palm oil processor and merchandiser, had been collaborating with the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) to provide support to suppliers.
“The SRT allows us to engage with suppliers, share knowledge and lend support in preparing for the MSPO certification.
“It allows Wilmar and the MPOCC to identify gaps and deploy resources such as training and audit assistance in a more effective manner. It also serves as an internal reporting tool that helps with the gap analysis of our own NDPE policy,” she added.
The SRT comprises a list of questions on policies, supply chain, transparency and environmental safeguards such as forest conservation, and the supplier’s score indicates their readiness for MSPO certification.
It also assists suppliers by providing them with guidance on meeting MSPO and NDPE requirements.
Upon obtaining their report, the supplier may choose to share it with stakeholders who require sustainability compliance information, such as buyers, auditors or banks.
After launching the SRT in March 2018, Wilmar conducted six training workshops nationwide, attended by about half of the company’s over 260 suppliers in Malaysia.
Kim Loong Resources Bhd deputy plantation director, Gooi Chuen Kang said the SRT helped the company to assess its operations.
“We find the SRT to be a useful tool in identifying gaps that we need to address. We do not have a specific unit that handles sustainability, and this tool provides us with the information we need,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sungei Kahang Palm Oil Sdn Bhd Group general manager, Isaac Lee said the SRT helped the company improve its existing sustainability efforts towards meeting the requirements of the certification body. — Bernama