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It means a healthy balance between society, the environment and the economy. Sustainable development is every corporation’s responsibility, and the palm oil industry is doing its part.
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The European Environment Agency Sustainable Development Programme has listed eight broad objectives that distil the thrust of the global sustainability agenda:
• provide future generations with the same environmental potential as presently exists
• manage economic growth to be less resource intensive and less polluting
• integrate sectoral and environmental policies
• ensure environmental adaptability
• avoid irreversible long-term environmental damage to ecosystems and human health
• avoid imposing unfair or high environmental costs on vulnerable populations
• assume responsibility for environmental effects that occur outside the area of jurisdiction
• introduce rules, processes and practices that ensure the uptake of sustainable development policies at all levels of sustainability governance
As you can see, sustainability is not about preserving the environment at all cost. It’s about seeing the big picture – considering the welfare of our society, our country’s economy and our environment. Therefore, it is every corporation’s responsibility, no matter their size, to ensure that a healthy balance between those three areas is maintained. In the oil industry, palm is the only one with sustainability certification. Being certified means a plantation would have to demonstrate that its management and operations respect the environment with a positive social impact while still being financially viable as a business. Apart from implementing procedures and training programmes that are environmentally friendly, some of the larger palm oil plantations are also very committed to their CSR projects, providing facilities and benefits that generally improve the quality of their lives. Perhaps one day, every company will contribute towards sustainable development.
Sime Darby Kicks Off Sustainable Futures Lecture Series
http://www.simedarby.com/newsroom/latest_news.aspx
Sime Darby launches boat service
http://www.simedarby.com/newsroom/newsroom_20080102.aspx
RSPO Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production.
http://www.rspo.org/resource_centre/RSPO Criteria Final Guidance with NI Document.pdf
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