Kuala Lumpur, 29 March 2018 – Sime Darby Plantation Berhad (SD Plantation) today achieved 100% Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification for its 124 estates and 33 mills throughout the country, becoming the largest producer of MSPO certified palm oil to-date with a total annual crude palm oil production capacity of approximately 1.2 million MT.

The MSPO scheme was developed as a national certification scheme in 2015. It provides general principles for the production of sustainable palm oil that covers the 3Ps (People, Planet, Profit) in Malaysia. The certification offers auditable standards on sustainability principles, criteria and indicators for both independent as well as organised smallholders, plantations companies, and palm oil mills in Malaysia. Key sustainability issues faced by the industry, such as environment and biodiversity, best practices and social responsibilities are embedded in the MSPO’s seven principles. As per the timeline set by the government, oil palm plantation companies that are already certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will have to comply with the MSPO scheme by 31 December 2018.

“Sime Darby Plantation is proud to support the Malaysian government’s initiative in raising the sustainability standards of the nation’s palm oil industry by ensuring that our operations are MSPO certified. We are very pleased to be able to achieve this ahead of the deadline set by the government. Our heartfelt appreciation to the Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) and various certification bodies involved for their diligence in expediting the auditing and certification for our operations,” said Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Mohd Bakke Salleh, SD Plantation’s Executive Deputy Chairman & Managing Director.

SD Plantation’s latest achievement marks another milestone for the company in its commitment to promote sustainable palm oil products and practices in the industry. Besides being a founding member of the RSPO, SD Plantation is also currently the world’s largest producer of RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) accounting for around 20% market share of the world production by capacity. The company believes that the MSPO scheme will be a success as more and more players within the supply chain become certified, and this would further strengthen the Malaysian Palm Oil brand envisaged by the government.

“Sime Darby Plantation is proud to support the MSPO certification because it reinforces the fact that our industry is constantly improving its sustainability credentials. As more and more industry players become MSPO certified, this would convey the message that Malaysian palm oil is truly a trusted brand of certified sustainable palm oil for global consumers.

We will work with relevant authorities such as MPOB to facilitate MSPO certification for smallholders who supply fresh fruit bunches to our mills in becoming MSPO certified. This is truly in line with our Responsible Agriculture Charter (RAC) commitment to bring together all our third party suppliers towards SD Plantation’s sustainability standards by 2020,” added Mohd Bakke Salleh.

“We are happy that Sime Darby Plantation has taken the effort to obtain 100% MSPO certification for oil palm management for its 124 estates and 33 palm oil mills in Malaysia. We hope that other Malaysian palm oil entities will follow the lead set by Sime Darby Plantation to elevate the industry to global standards,” said Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC), Harnarinder Singh.