This takes us beyond Responsible Sourcing and Compliance Monitoring to become a catalyst for change achieving positive outcomes for communities, individuals, and the environment. Our current programs include:
In 2015 we established the P&G Smallholder program in Johor, Malaysia, with the aim of supporting smallholders in their journey to sustainably improving oil palm fruit yields and boosting livelihood. In 2018, we established the P&G Centre for Sustainable Small owners (CSS) in partnership with Asia School of Business. It acts as a 1-Stop Shop resource centre - bringing together agronomists, researchers, supply chain experts and fertilizer experts – accessible to our smallholders.
Our program focusses on developing practical solutions working collaboratively with our smallholder partners. It includes 250 best-in-class learning farms; development of training tools and provide best practice training to create smallholder experts. These community knowledge holders then act as ambassadors to their communities helping us reach our target of up to 8,000 farmers. We also offer the practical help needed to support their journey to RSPO smallholder certification giving them a voice in the wider palm industry.
Together in 2022 we saw our best practices deliver 48%+ yield and 39% income improvement at our learning farms. Our support and their passion enabled our smallholders to establish Pertaniaga (smallholder association) in 2021. This led to 306 smallholders achieving RSPO ISH certification (with the benefits of price premiums in 2022 - with 600+ more on track to achieve it in the near future.
On UN World Wildlife Day 2021 P&G established a 2-year sponsorship partnership with WWF Malaysia – supporting their work to protect endangered Malayan Tigers and their forest homes in the Central Forest Spine of Peninsular Malaysia. Our support enables WWF MY to carry out their essential work including:
Results of the program include planting of 3,764 trees as part of the on-going restoration of the Sungai Yu primary linkage. Patrolling by ranger teams of over 31,520 Ha (an amazing 7,235 Ha on Foot plus motorbike and boat) of the Belum-Temenggor Forest Complex led to the removal of 35 snares and acted as a deterrent to prevent poaching. And completion of wildlife surveys (including camera traps) and stakeholder and spatial mapping will contribute and help inform on-going conservation plans.
P&G is a founder member of the RIMBA Collective. This 30-year program was established in 2020 by a group of companies* with a shared commitment to support long term community and landscape programs in Indonesia and Malaysia. It aims to support local community and NGO led programs designed to protect and restore 500,000 hectares of forest and support 32,000 people in forest communities.
In 2022, the first full year of operations, RIMBA supported forest conservation programs reaching 73,000 hectares of land. In 2023 we aim to protect and restore 200,000 hectares of Landscape. You can learn more about the work and community and NGO led programs supported by the RIMBA Collective: Here
* Founding Partners include P&G, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever
P&G is committed to playing a positive role through our own supply chain choices and programs. But we recognize that many shared challenges can only be resolved through partnerships – working with a range of stakeholder and experts – which drive change. This is especially true where we need to influence best practices or industry-wide standards. Our partnership programs focus on:
We work closely with many organisations and on task force and working groups, but especially:
P&G has been a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oils since 2011. We engage on a wide range of RSPO programs including:
Want to learn more about RSPO’s work: https://rspo.org/
The High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Group was formed in 2014. Its aim was to develop a methodology that would identify forests in need of protection from deforestation. Today HCSA bringing together companies across the supply chain, experts and NGOs focussed on environmental and social justice. P&G joined the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) Steering Group at its inception. Today we serve on its Executive Committee (HCSASG), Smallholder Working Group (SHWG) and other working groups to develop and champion the implementation of the HCSA toolkit. Want to learn more about HCSA: https://highcarbonstock.org/
The Palm Oil Collaboration Group (POCG) brings together companies from every stage of the palm oil supply chain to accelerate effective implementation of No Deforestation, No Peat Expansion, No Exploitation (NDPE) commitments. P&G is an active member of the Implementation Reporting Framework Active Working Group (IRF AWG) – developing a tool for companies to monitor, understand and communicate progress on NDPE implementation. And Production and Protection Beyond Concessions (PPBC) working group which aims to support smallholder production and forest protection beyond concessions through identification of proactive interventions, action protocols and targeted monitoring