Responsible supply chains in action

The rising global demand for crops, such as soy and palm oil, has raised concerns about conserving tropical forests, preserving biodiversity, and protecting populations and habitats of animal species. We have policies to ensure environmentally responsible and sustainable practices are employed in our own operations. We are also working alongside global multi-stakeholder initiatives to establish and promote sustainable production practices, and we are partnering with international organizations to help protect and preserve the populations and habitats of endangered species.

Responsible supply chain examples

• RSPO. On our oil palm plantations in Indonesia, we are committed not to plant on high value forests, not to develop on deep peat land and have a strict no-burn policy for land preparation. We are also actively supporting the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to promote sustainable palm production and currently working towards achieving certification for all our palm plantations. We have also set a goal of buying 60 percent of our total crude palm oil from RSPO members by the end of 2010. We have also announced a collaboration with WWF to undertake an assessment of our palm oil suppliers in Indonesia to gauge progress on implementing the RSPO standards.
• Soy Moratorium. We have joined other Brazilian soy processors and exporters to agree to a Soy Moratorium not to purchase soy from lands deforested in the Amazon Biome since July 24. 2006. Since this agreement we have been working with industry and NGO partners to establish an effective system to monitor soy production and curb deforestation.
• Protecting biodiversity. We partner with Fauna & Flora International, Conservation International and WWF in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to protect orangutan populations, the natural habitat of the world’s largest butterfly and local biodiversity.
• Planting trees. In Indonesia, Cargill supports the government’s ‘One Man One Tree’ program, which aims to plant (and care for) at least one tree for every person living in Indonesia. Cargill employees will plant 220,000 trees across the country’s ten provinces and will help see that the newly planted trees receive appropriate care for three years. Some of the seedlings will come from Cargill’s cocoa nurseries.