Environmental watchdog Greenpeace is accusing palm oil giant Wilmar Group of engaging in deforestation in Indonesia’s Papua through Gama Group which it is believed to be affiliated with.
“Our investigation has revealed the dirty work of Wilmar, working together for years with Gama which has been doing its dirty work so that the hands of Wilmar can remain clean,” Greenpeace Forest Campaigner for Indonesia, Kiki Taufik said in a report published on the organization’s website,
Greenpeace said that Gama was founded by Wilmar founder Martua Sitorus and his sibling Ganda. Wilmar ’s International Limited’s General Manager if Trading for Indonesia, Darwin Indigo, is also known as the son of Ganda, founder of Gama Group.
Taufik demanded that Wilmar immediately halt all its suppliers which are proven to have violated the rules and regulations.
He also stressed that major buyers such as Procter & Gambler, Unilever, and Nestle should consequently halt cooperation with Willmar until a solution and clarity be reached on the issue.
“They (the major buyers) cannot allow this to proceed, and must halt all their business interest with Wilmar until they can prove they are trading in palm oil from responsible producers,” Taufik said.
As a member of the Roundtable Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Wilmar is liable to face trade sanctions if proven to have engaged in a violation. Greenpeace is also demanding that RSPO firmly sanction Wilmar over this, but up until this news report was written, RSPO could not yet be immediately reached for comment.
Meanwhile, Wilmar said in its website that it has halted its cooperation with Gama but provided no further details.
Wilmar Group currently has some 300 mills in a number of countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Australia, and Europe. The Singapore-based company is believed to operate plantations covering about half a million hectares across the globe.