Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) is concerned over the serious allegations in a petition submitted to the United States (US) Customs and Border Protection on April 20, 2020 to 'exclude palm oil and palm oil products produced wholly or in part by forced labour and child labour by SDP owned and affiliated companies' which was made public by Liberty Shared yesterday.
SDP said the allegations were serious and against the commitments that the palm oil producer has publicly made, as articulated in their Responsible Agriculture Charter and Human Rights Charter.
"We believe over the years we have made genuine progress in improving our labour practices on the ground through various initiatives and collaborations with multiple partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
"Our efforts can be seen in various disclosures that we have made public, which include our latest Sustainability Report 2019, published in May 2020. We acknowledge the challenges and complexity of the supply chains across the industry of implementing our NDPE (No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation) commitments," said SDP in a statement today.
Nevertheless, it said, the company was truly committed to eradicating instances of non-compliance by imposing immediate and appropriate corrective actions if and when they arose.
According to SDP, the petition was submitted without soliciting any feedback from the company.
Currently, it said, SDP has access only to the petition summary which provides issues that were raised, without any details on the interviews that were conducted.
"In the spirit of openness, transparency and collaboration that SDP has always upheld, we intend to engage with Liberty Shared to further understand these allegations in detail to enable us to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation and take corrective action, as the findings may warrant.
We believe this, in turn, will further help strengthen our practices globally to ensure we embed the respect for Human Rights on the ground throughout our operations," it added.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Wed Jul 08 2020
According to SDP, the petition was submitted without soliciting any feedback from the company.
Bapa bintang bola sepak Sepanyol, Lamine Yamal ditikam - Laporan
Mounir Nasraoui, bapa kepada Lamine Yamal, ditikam pada lewat Rabu di tempat letak kereta di bandar Mataro di timur laut Sepanyol.
Putin anggap rundingan dengan Ukraine tidak berguna
Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin menyifatkan, tindakan Ukraine yang menyerang orang awam memperlihatkan keengganan Kyiv menyelesaikan konflik peperangan dua negara dengan cara perdamaian.
Fadillah tiba di Peru, hadiri mesyuarat menteri-menteri tenaga APEC 2024
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof tiba Lima, Peru bagi menghadiri Mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri Tenaga (EMM) di bawah Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia Pasifik (APEC) yang berlangsung selama dua hari.
BNM denda Maybank RM4.32 juta, CIMB RM760,000 berikutan gangguan perkhidmatan berpanjangan
Bank Negara Malaysia mengenakan Penalti Monetari Pentadbiran (AMP) sebanyak RM4.32 juta ke atas Malayan Banking Bhd dan Maybank Islamic Bhd serta RM760,000 ke atas CIMB Bank Bhd dan CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd susulan gangguan beberapa perkhidmatan perbankan yang berpanjangan.
Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine
Auckland City Mission secara tidak sengaja telah mengagihkan gula-gula bercampur Methamphetamine yang boleh membawa maut melalui pek makanan.
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza hadapi kekurangan mesin dialisis
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza menghadapi kekurangan peralatan dialisis dan bekalan perubatan yang teruk di Khan Younis.
Kekejaman zionis: Hamas hilang kepercayaan A.S jadi pengantara gencatan senjata
Hamas hilang kepercayaan terhadap keupayaan Amerika Syarikat untuk menjadi pengantara gencatan senjata di Gaza.
Kekejaman zionis: Hamas tidak ambil bahagian rundingan gencatan senjata baharu
Hamas tidak akan mengambil bahagian dalam pusingan baharu rundingan gencatan senjata Gaza yang dijadualkan di Qatar, pada Khamis.
Malaysia kecam pencerobohan Israel ke atas Masjid Al-Aqsa
Wisma Putra dalam satu kenyataan pada Rabu berkata perbuatan keji ini yang dilakukan di bawah perlindungan pasukan keselamatan Israel, merupakan pencerobohan serius terhadap satu daripada tapak paling suci Islam.
WHO isytihar mpox sebagai kecemasan kesihatan awam global
Ini merupakan pengisytiharan kali kedua dalam tempoh dua tahun berikutan wabak yang bermula di Congo sudah merebak ke negara jiran.