Program Overview

The conversation around palm oil sustainability came about around the same time as the oil palm plantation expansion which was linked to the regional haze in the late 1990s. In 1997, the regional haze enveloped Southeast Asia and soon after, the spotlight was on palm oil and its role in it. So much attention was given to the palm oil supply chain that players within the sector felt compelled to act. As a result, in 2004, a multi-stakeholder initiative called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was founded. Its mission was to define sustainable palm oil and make it mainstream. The tool to do this was via the creation of the Sustainable Palm Oil standard. Since then, several private and national schemes have been created with the same mission. Most publicly listed companies rely heavily on these standards as an operational and reputational tool.

The controversy around palm oil is well documented and so too are the socio-economic benefits that this commodity has brought to developing nations. Some players within the supply chain have thrived with rise in the consumption and production of sustainable palm oil but not without significant challenges in their journey.

This program will help directors and senior management of companies related to the palm oil sector – whether investors, loan providers, insurers, producers or consumers in the supply chain – to understand the complex issue of palm oil sustainability.

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• • List the issues pertaining to palm oil sustainability;
  • Articulate the expectations of different of stakeholder groups within the palm oil sector;
  • List some strategies palm oil companies can employ to mitigate their sustainability risks;
  • Explain some challenges that may arise in managing these risks.

Who Should Attend?

• • Board of directors of oil palm companies
  • Board of directors and CEOs of companies within the palm oil supply chain
  • Board of directors of banks and insurance companies who want to understand the palm oil sector for risk management and pricing purposes
  • C-Suite executives of oil palm companies
  • Anyone who might nd this program helpful