"Grant & Eisenhofer ESG Institute Petitions U.S. Government to Block Importation of Palm Oil Produced by FGV Holdings Berhad in Malaysia, Based on Evidence of Child and Forced Labor Practices", 24 Jun 2019

The Grant & Eisenhofer ESG Institute announced the filing of a petition to ban importation of palm oil produced in Malaysia by that country's biggest, and one-third government-owned palm oil producer, FGV Holdings Berhad (formerly known as FELDA Global Ventures Berhad), due to widespread evidence of forced labor and illegal child labor practices on FGV's oil-palm plantations. The petition was filed with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency within the Department of Homeland Security that enforces laws and facilitates lawful trade.

The ESG Institute's petition requests that the CBP make an official determination that FGV palm-oil products imported from Malaysia are produced "wholly or in part" using forced labor, and that the CBP halt all such imports. Under federal law, importation of goods produced abroad by forced labor is prohibited.

A copy of the 14-page petition can be found here: https://www.gelaw.com/about/esg-institute/

The United States is the eighth-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil and palm oil-based products.  A ubiquitous ingredient, palm oil is contained in an estimated half of all packaged food products sold in the U.S., from many snack foods to make-up and other skincare products. It is also a common ingredient in many hygiene products — including popular brands of toothpaste, shampoo and laundry detergents — and is found in various pharmaceuticals...

In filing an official petition with the CBP, the ESG Institute is calling on the U.S. government to take meaningful official action against "an unconscionable labor and human rights problem," notes Olav Haazen, a director at law firm Grant & Eisenhofer, who filed the petition for the Institute, a global policy group focused on legal issues regarding environmental, social and governance issues in institutional investing.  

"The problem of forced and child labor in the global palm oil industry has been widely recognized for several years," said Mr. Haazen. "Beyond bringing greater public awareness to a serious human rights issue, we hope our petition will compel industry-wide changes in the treatment of workers who cultivate and harvest palm oil. The inhumane and immoral conditions in producing this commodity product have persisted way too long, and our government has done little in response."...