Ensuring that we certify our oil palm sites to leading sustainability certification standards is integral to our business objectives. This approach keeps us responsive to the ever-evolving stakeholder landscape and builds credibility and trust in our local and international operations.
Palm Oil Certification
RSPO In 2008, NBPOL was among the first companies globally to achieve RSPO certification, and in 2012, all six sites became 100% certified to RSPO Principles & Criteria (P&C). NBPOL considers RSPO compliance to be the minimum purchasing requirement. Since 2012, our support programmes and structured certification process has supported the certification of each of our smallholder suppliers. This procedure means we have continuously operated a fully segregated and fully traceable palm oil supply chain.
RA SAS NBPOL is the only palm oil producer outside of Latin America to achieve Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard (SAS) certification – a milestone awarded to our West New Britain operations in 2017. As of November 2021, five out of our six sites are certified. This includes 196 smallholders under the Tamba Lease Settlement Scheme (LSS) by extension of our WNB certification.
Other Certification
HACCP NBPOL is certified to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a system that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards that are significant for food safety.
Furthering NBPOL’s commitment to Food Safety – achieving HACCP (MS 1480) certification As one of the strategies to further our commitment to high food safety standards, NBPOL has recently embarked upon achieving Hazard Analysis and Critical ControlPoint (HACCP - MS 1480) system certification across all our mills, kernel crushing plants and bulk oil storage terminals. The journey was initiated at the beginning of 2022 in West New Britain (WNB) with extensive training and gap assessments conducted followed by initial certification audits of WNB’s five mills, kernel crushing plant and bulk oil storage terminal. The audits were successfully completed in November 2022 with 3-year HACCP (MS 1480) certificates issued for all facilities.
Stage two of our HACCP certification journey is to now certify the remaining seven mills, six kernel crushing plants and four bulk oil storage terminals across Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Audits for these sites have been confirmed to take place in the first two quarters of 2023, with an overall objective of achieving 100% HACCP (MS 1480) certification by the end of June 2023.
Halal With Halal certification, our products and production methods (including raw materials, ingredients, processing equipment, other handling equipment for the manufacturing process) adhere to the Islamic law (Shariah Law) requirements.
Kosher Kosher Certification is the stamp of kosher approval by a rabbinic agency verifying the products' ingredients, production facility and the processing derivatives, tools, and machinery have no trace of non-kosher substances. The Kosher-certified symbol assures consumers that both the actual product and its production adhere to all Kosher Law requirements.
SA 8000 SA 8000 is an international certification standard that encourages organisations to develop, maintain and apply socially acceptable practices in the workplace, addressing issues including forced and child labour, occupational health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours, compensation, and management systems.
The Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (SEDEX) New Britain Palm Oil is a contributor to the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, or SEDEX, a membership organisation for businesses committed to continuous improvement of the ethical performance of their supply chains.
There is little to no demand for our beef and sugar production to be certified to any standard for the local market. However, our sustainable integrated management system was developed against ISO14001, ISO45001 and SA8000 standards and applies to all sites and commodities.
Recognition and Achievements
Sustainabile Palm Oil Transparency Toolkipt (SPOTT) Up till 2020, NBPOL was annually assessed in the Sustainable Palm Oil Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT) – an initiative developed by the Zoological Society of London to encourage transparency and track progress against sustainability targets. We are proud to have ranked first out of 100 companies in the 2020 assessment, with a score of 94.4%. SPOTT scores companies’ disclosure on their operations, policies and commitments to environmental, social, and governance best practices. From 2021 onwards, we are assessed as a group under Sime Darby Plantation Berhad.
Sustainable Pathfinder Award In 2018, the Rainforest Alliance presented NBPOL with the Sustainable Pathfinder Award for responsible palm oil leadership. The award recognises companies from various industries for their contribution towards advancing sustainable practices. It is the first-time recognition has been bestowed on a company in the palm oil sector.