Pangkalan Bun, 8 November 2017 – PT Sawit Sumbermas Sarana Tbk. (SSMS) has published a new Sustainability Policy that will be followed by a Sustainability Road Map by the end of December 2017, committing the company to a more specific set of time-bound commitments. The policy will see SSMS achieving 100% RSPO and ISPO certification by 2020, and further specifies the company’s previous commitments in areas such as forest and HCV protection, and human and worker rights. Meanwhile, the Road Map will guide SSMS in its implementation of its Sustainability Policy, through improvements to the company’s standard operating procedures.
“We believe in the potential of palm oil to address the surge in future needs for edible oil, fuel national development, and bring tangible benefits to communities as well as the environment,” said SSMS CEO Vallauthan Subraminam.
“To realize this full potential of palm oil is our greatest aspiration and a source of pride as a local company. We believe that adopting the highest standards and best practices outlined by the laws of Indonesia and RSPO requirements will guide us in achieving this aspiration. We also believe that partnering with other stakeholders is key in bringing us closer to our destination. SSMS’s new sustainability policy reflects just that,” he said.
Under the new Sustainability Policy, SSMS is committed to applying the multi-stakeholders-accepted High Carbon Stock Approach toolkit to ensure that it undertakes no deforestation, no new development on peat regardless of depth, and respects and upholds the legal rights of all workers, indigenous and local communities as governed by the laws of Indonesia and RSPO requirements.
“We are encouraged to learn that SSMS is embarking into a stronger sustainability journey, which is also aligned with our sustainability policy. We wish to continue to support SSMS, as one of our traditional palm oil suppliers, and together monitor the progress of the delivery of its commitment. We believe such partnership will contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous Indonesia palm oil industry”, said Agus Purnomo, Managing Director of Golden Agri Resources Ltd.
SSMS’s new Sustainability Policy strengthens existing commitments to comply with government regulations and RSPO standards on sustainability. SSMS issued the new Policy to improve the company’s sustainable practices and to bind all relevant stakeholders within the same sustainable perspective. It is a testimony to the company’s strong wish to realize the full potential of palm oil, in partnership with stakeholders along the palm oil supply chain. The Policy resulted from a collaboration between SSMS and independent sustainability consulting firm Daemeter, as well as customers and other key stakeholders.
“By including these more specific commitments to address the shared concerns on deforestation, peat degradation and improving the economics and social welfare, SSMS has taken a significant step toward realizing the full potential of palm oil. We believe this is something that our customers and other key stakeholders in the industry will come to appreciate and partner with us in this journey,” said Subraminam. “We believe that openness and collaboration are keys to a more sustainable business. That said, SSMS is also developing a new website that can improve our engagement and communication and serve as an information hub on SSMS activities.”
SSMS’s new sustainability policy is publicly available through this link.
* * *
About the company
PT Sawit Sumbermas Sarana Tbk. (SSMS) is a palm oil company with a mission to realize the full potential of palm oil. SSMS manages an integrated business across 19 oil palm estates, six oil palm mills (PKS) and one palm kernel mill out of Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. SSMS believes that palm oil companies, if they do the business right, can play a key role in sustaining the environment and providing for human needs at the same time. This is the role the company aims to play.
For further information, please contact:
Swasti Kartikaningtyas
Head of Corporate Secretary
PT Sawit Sumbermas Sarana Tbk.
corporate@ssms.co.id