After four years of investment, and despite the constraints imposed by the global pandemic, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has achieved 95 percent traceability to the plantation for its entire supply chain. The company’s commitment to a fully traceable supply chain is based on its belief that traceability – knowing its supply chain – creates the necessary foundation to support industry level adoption of sustainable production practices.
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“Traceability helps us to build stronger relationships and trust with suppliers. The information traceability provides also enables us to scale up and be realistically ambitious in our interventions, especially with smallholders,” said Anita Neville, Chief Sustainability and Communications, GAR, in the Company’s online panel discussion themed Leading to Sustainable Palm Oil Industry through Supply Chain Transformation.
Anita added, “We believe these efforts are not only good for our business but also support the strengthening of this vital Indonesian industry – helping it become more productive, efficient and competitive, through adoption of recognised, sustainable production practices.”
Since 2015, GAR has had 100 percent visibility on all of the supplier mills who deliver palm oil to our six refineries. Having a comprehensive view of all GAR’s suppliers, sub-suppliers and the linkages between them, allows the company to collaborate and invest to make the entire supply chain more resilient and more sustainable.
In addition to the traceability effort, GAR conducts regular monitoring and assessment of its suppliers of crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO), to ensure they understand and comply with the principles of sustainability within the GAR Social and Environmental Policy (GSEP).
“Thanks to the SMART REACH – Remote Engagement, Assessment and Conference (call) from Home programme via a video conference, from March 2020 to October 2021, we conducted assessments of around 72 palm oil mills (PKS). This number is double compared to the total direct site visits in the same period we did last year,” said Wahyu W. Wijayanti, Head of Traceable and Transparent Production.