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Article

23 Sep 2010

Author:
Mongabay.com

Eco-friendly palm oil initiative censures company linked to deforestation

The Roundtable On Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a body the sets standards for eco-friendly palm oil production, on Thursday said Indonesian palm oil producer Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) breached its sustainability criteria and faces expulsion, reports AFP...RSPO's statement comes after a Greenpeace investigation found evidence of SMART clearing peatlands and rainforests in Central Kalimantan and Sumatra in violation of RSPO principles. A subsequent audit—commissioned by SMART—largely confirmed Greenpeace's findings... SMART has lost a number of major customers—Unilever, Kraft, Nestle, Burger King, and General Mills—over the revelations. The RSPO said it has also asked SMART's parent company, Singapore-listed Golden Agri-Resources Ltd (GAR) [part of Sinar Mas Group], to stop claiming it is an RSPO member...RSPO's public rebuke of Smart is unusual for the body, which has criticized in some environmentalist circles for failing to take action against errant members.