Goodhope / Carson Cumberbatch – Multiple Subsidiaries – popup

The first case was filed on RSPO Complaints case tracker by Yayasan Pusaka. Access to the relevant case tracker can be found here.

Greenpeace released a report titled, “A Deadly Trade-Off”, which highlighted the issues related to deforestation, Peatland clearance, exploitation (no FPIC) in Nabire Baru, Papua, and deforestation in Sariwana Adi Perkasa, Papua.

We confirmed trade relations with the company when emailed by Greenpeace.

Greenpeace released a report titled, “Dirty Bankers: How HSBC is financing Forest Destruction for Palm Oil”, alleging Nabire Baru of deforestation for plantation development, destruction of HCV forest, developing on peat, illegalities and lack of FPIC.

Greenpeace Palm Oil Alert report titled, “Goodhope Asia Holdings Ltd”.

The updated report dated 31 March 2017 included an overview of the issues remaining:

1. Illegality: Development without proper permits, including a government-approved environmental impact assessment (AMDAL)
2. Deforestation: Forest clearance, including areas mapped as Primary Forest
3. Peatland Development: Development of areas mapped as peat
4. Exploitation: Development without Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of affected communities, and the use of state security forces as company guards

The subsidiaries involved are Agro. Indomas Sungai- Purun Palm Oil mill and Agro Indomas – Terawan Palm Oil mill.

The points raised were that the company makes no commitment to avoid developing plantations on forested areas or peatlands, nor implement a rigorous FPIC process with indigenous or other affected communities.

Goodhope’s 2015 ACOP omits important and relevant information. It claims that no land dispute exists, despite an ongoing dispute in PT Nabire Baru’s concession.

Goodhope will work with the RSPO Dispute Settlement Facility in proceeding with its mediation plan for the Nabire case. Goodhope is also implementing its sustainability policies and actions towards addressing the reported issues.

On 12 April, Goodhope published a statement in response to Greenpeace Palm Oil alert bulletin.

On 15 May, Goodhope published its response to the stop-work order of the RSPO outlining its actions and will outline its timeline after discussing with RSPO.

On 18 May, Goodhope met with Yayasan Puku and Forest People Programme (FPP) about April 2016 issue.

On 22 May, Goodhope applied to join the High Carbon Approach Stock Group (HCSA). Aidenvironment is reviewing legal compliance and conformity to New Planting Procedure (NPP) which is to be completed by July 2017.

On 26 May, Goodhope replied with two letters to RSPO’s letter dated 28 April 2017. The first was to outline timelines set for the NPP documents, while the second was to request for provisional exceptions to build an oil mill in Nabire Baru.

On 31 May, RSPO’s Complaints Panel indicated to Goodhope that the company can continue to build the mini mill only after the environmental and legal requirements are in place.

1. Requirements for the lifting of the precautionary approach: the RSPO Secretariat confirmed that the lifting is conditional on the actual completion of the milestones and timelines.
2. Conditions relating to the construction of the mill at Nabire Baru: the RSPO Secretariat reiterated the Complaints Panel’s letter dated 16 June 2017 regarding the three conditions set and waiting for the next Complaints Panel meeting to submit its responses.
3. Stakeholders engagement to lift the precautionary approach and resolve the complaints: efforts are being made to build good rapport and mutual understanding with key stakeholders through a series of meetings and discussions to find a common ground and agreement on lifting the precautionary approach and complaints to the RSPO. Goodhope is advised to continue engaging the NGOs and documenting any communications and agreements.

On 17 July, Goodhope published its progress update on the RSPO complaint. The full progress report for July 2017 is found here.

1. Socialised its NDPE policy to its stakeholders in Papua.
2. Carried out environmental assessments including High Carbon Stock (HCS), High Conservation Value (HCV), and Land Use Change analysis (LUCA) in its operations in Papua and Kalimantan.
3. Conducted a review of its legal compliance in relations to environmental permits and AMDAL on PT Nabire Baru.
4. Engaged with the community of Yerisiam Gua and reached an agreement on the construction of a mill, subject to the approval of the RSPO.

The full progress report for August 2017 is found here.

1. It has implemented its NDPE policy and continues to review all related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
2. It is actively carrying out environmental assessments and socialisation of the assessments in all its affected concessions.
3. It is also engaging with Greenpeace and the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Approach Steering Group on conservation of the HCS site in Nabire.
4. It is undertaking a legal compliance review of its operations in Nabire.
5. It is resolving the dispute in Nabire via the RSPO dispute resolution facility.
6. It has attained a conditional approval for its request to build a mini mill in Nabire.

The full progress report for September 2017 is found here.

1. Engagement and training on children’s rights in the Palm Oil industry was jointly conducted with stakeholders.
2. Environmental assessments are currently on-going and will be concluded by end of November 2017.
3. The report on ‘The legal review of the compliance of PT Nabire’ was submitted to stakeholders.
4. A proposal has been drafted on the preservation of the High Carbon Stock (HCS) land in Nabire.
5. Assessors have been selected to facilitate the settlement of dispute with the Yerisiam community.

The full progress report for October 2017 is found here.

1. PT Agro Indomas (AICK) and PT RIM Capital (RIM) in Central Kalimantan have undergone RSPO re-certification audits.
2. PT Agro Bukit Central Kalimantan (ABCK) completed the RSPO annual surveillance audit. All three locations successfully retained their RSPO certificates.
3. A traceability audit was conducted by Synergy Oil Nusantara in ABCK.
4. Goodhope has completed High Conservation Value (HCV) re-assessment reports for PT Nabire Baru (NB), PT Sariwana Adi Perkasa (SAP), PT Agro Jaya Baktitama (AJB), PT Batu Mas Sejahtera (BMS) and PT Sawit Makmur Sejahtera (SMS), and submitted the reports to the HCV Resource Network.
5. It is developing an integrated social and environmental management plant based on HCV, HCS, peatlands and social assessments.
6. The Yerisiam Gua community grievance assessment report was completed.
7. Goodhope continues to abide by the RSPO stop order and is on tracking to meet all RSPO deadlines as per the 28 April 2017 letter.

The full progress report for November 2017 can be viewed here.

1. A series of training on Goodhope’s NDPE policy were conducted for its employees.
2. Its supplier engagement plan will commence in February 2018.
3. Goodhope has completed and submitted five HCV assessment reports to the HCV Resource Network (HCVRN).
4. Land Use Change Analysis (LUCA) reports for all seven subsidiaries were submitted to the RSPO.
5. Draft Conservation Management and Monitoring plans were developed based on the results and recommendations provided by the HCV and HCS assessments.
6. An improved internal grievance handling team was established, to handle, monitor and evaluate grievances.
7. A stakeholder-selected assessor team completed the ground assessment on issues relating to conflicts between the Yerisiam Gua Community and PT Nabire Baru, the outcomes of which were presented from 17 to 20 November 2017.

1. Land Use Change Analysis (LUCA), High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments and High Carbon Stock (HCS) assessments at seven subsidiaries have been completed.
2. Socialisation of the Sustainability Policy continues for workers and will be followed by the supplier engagement plan.
3. The Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU) visited the Nabire region from 8 to 10 January 2018, seeking additional feedback and developing opportunities for dispute resolution with full community support.
4. Construction plans of the mini mill at PT Nabire Baru is also progressing with further socialisation activities planned to take place during the last two weeks in January 2018.
5. A Sustainability Policy Implementation Plan for 2018 has been developed.

The full progress report for January 2018 can be viewed here.

1. A consultancy firm has been contracted to conduct a sustainability assessment in order to analyze and evaluate Goodhope’s current performance relating to the implementation of sustainability commitments,findings due in April 2018.
2. Social Impact Assessments in the Ketapang region and Nabire region were completed and a public consultation was held in Nabire on 8th February 2018.
3. Goodhope developed a Proposal for the Rehabilitation of Riparian Zones at PT Agro Indomas, Central Kalimantan (AICK) as part of its forest rehabilitation programme.
4. Goodhope organised a public consultation on mill construction on 26th January 2018 following a customary ground-breaking ritual on 24th January 2018, attended by representatives of indigenous communities and concerned stakeholders in PT Nabire Baru.

The full progress report for February 2018 can be viewed here.

1. Socialisation of its sustainability commitments to employees and local communities.
2. Public consultations were also held to provide stakeholders with a better understanding of the company’s operations and to gain stakeholder feedback for improved policy implementation with stakeholders.
3. A sustainability audit is being undertaken to analyse and evaluate Goodhope’s current performance relating to the implementation of Sustainability commitments.
4. Assessments are being carried out in the 7 subsidiaries affected by the RSPO top work order to ensure New Planting Procedure compliance.
5. Goodhope is partnering with Perbanas Institute to assess economic advancement potentials and perform community empowerment.
6. Goodhope is working on developing and implementing an integrated conservation and land-use landscape management plan in the Ketapang district, West Kalimantan.

The full progress report for March 2018 can be viewed here.

1. Partnership to support conservation and community development initiatives at Bukit Santuai The initiative to integrate conservation of culture and biodiversity has been established by an agreement between the local community at Bukit Santuai district and the companies PT Agro Wana Lestari (AWL) and PT Karya Makmur Sejahtera (KMS).
2. Fire safety training was organized by EHS Departments from our concessions in Ketapang region at PT Batu Mas Sejahtera (BMS) in January 2018 and at PT Agrajaya Baktitama Perkasa (AJB) and PT SMS Sawit Makmur Sejahtera (SMS )in March 2018.
3. PT Agro Indomas organized a cleaning program of the Rungau river and Sembuluh lake on 11 April 2018 in Terawan.
4. Education programs, delivered by the Agro Harapan Foundation , to ensure that every child living in or around the Goodhope oil palm concessions have access to quality education.
5. Staff were sent for human rights training to ensure that they are in full co0mplaince of all legal and social rules.
6. HCV assessments have been completed for seven subsidiaries and were submitted to HCVRN and RSPO as four reports in line with the deadlines set by the RSPO Complaints Panel.

The full report can be read here.

1. From 24 – 25 April, Goodhope held a workshop on ‘Best Practices for Rehabilitation of Riparian Reserves in Oil Palm Plantations’ in cooperation with the Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI) with invited speakers from RSPO, Tropenbos Indonesia and the Nature Conservation Technology Research Center (BALITEK KSDA) East Kalimantan.
2. Comprehensive HCS Assessments are carried out by accredited bodies before land clearing or new development, and that the assessments are subject to peer review as prescribed by the HCSA Steering Group – as stated in our Sustainability Policy (May 2017). To date, Goodhope has registered three projects with the HCSA Steering Group – Nabire Region, Ketapang Region and Sintang Region.
3. Goodhope has partnered with Perbanas Institute, Indonesian National Bank Association to support education programs and community economic empowerment initiatives.
4. For operating plantations, the Plantation Business Assessment or PUP (Penilaian Usaha Perkebunan) is conducted at least once every three years according to government regulations (implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture).
5. From 16-20 April, three of Goodhope subsidiary companies in Central Kalimantan underwent surveillance audits for Integrated Management System (IMS) incorporating the international standards ISO 14001 Environment Management System and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System.
6. Goodhope was invited to a workshop by Wilmar International Limited in collaboration with the NGO, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) to promote improved labor practices in the Palm Oil industry. The workshop was held in Jakarta on 3 May.
7. Goodhope continue to make progress towards ensuring that all relevant assessments (including High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments, Land Use Change Analysis (LUCA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and GreenHouse Gas (GHG) assessments) are completed in compliance with RSPO New Planting Procedures (NPP 2015).

The full report can be read here.

Read the full report here.

Read the full report here.

Goodhope has also agreed to participate in a project facilitated by Daemeter and supported by IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative to help in identifying environmentally, socially and economically beneficial development strategies.

Read the full report here.

Read the full report here.

1. Full Land Use Change Analysis (LUCA) for each subsidiary has been submitted to RSPO, meeting the deadline set by the Complaints Panel.
2. New HCV assessments have been completed by the deadline set by the Complaints Panel.
3. HCV assessments for five of the seven subsidiaries have been declared satisfactory by the HCVRN following Quality Panel Review. The HCV assessment for Ketapang region – PT Agrajaya Baktitama (AJB), PT Batu Mas Sejahtera (BMS) and PT Sawit Makmur Sejahtera (SMS) – passed HCVRN Quality Panel Review process with satisfactory status on 20 September.

It is currently waiting for the completion of HCVRN Quality Panel Review of the assessments for PT Sinar Sawit Andalan (SSA) and PT Sumber Hasil Prima (SHP).

For all subsidiaries with proposed new plantings (that is not yet approved), it is working to ensure that all relevant processes and requirements are completed in compliance with RSPO’s New Planting Procedures (NPP 2015). Goodhope has been making progress in developing Conservation and Land-use Plans in collaboration with consultants.

Read the full report here.

Goodhope conducted monitoring and socialisation of HCV at its concessions PT Agro Wana Lestari (AWL) and PT Karya Makmur Sejahtera (KMS) on 22 October-2 November.

The full report can be read here.

Conservation plans based on HCV/HCS assessment are on track and steps towards certification is progressing well. Improvement of social labour conditions and protection of children have also been put in place. Smallholder programs focusing on the establishment of cooperatives for the plasma are being developed too.

The Nabire complaint has been withdrawn by the community and awaits endorsement by the RSPO. The full report can be read here.

Continued efforts were made towards providing a safe work environment for its employees.

Steady headway was also recorded towards reaching targets of social development and poverty reduction in the communities in their concessions.

Major strides were made in the mitigation of environmental impact and compliance with industry standards.

CSR Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 17 Jan 2019. Implementation of the actions as required by the RSPO based on their 19 April 2017 is on-going.

The full report can be read here.

Various trainings on food safety and occupational safety were carried out at refinery and plantations sites.

Goodhope is working in collaboration with consultants (Daemeter) to implement an improved Traceability and Responsible Sourcing Framework.

Goodhope is seeking to promote further progress in the development and implementation of a Collaborative Landscape Management Program that aims to provide suitable opportunities for sustainable community development in Nabire Region, Papua and they are working with IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative).

The full report can be read here.

Goodhope is engaging with the Indonesian Global Impact Network to learn how to better align our strategies and operations with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNRC) and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles.

Routine assessment of compliance against the criteria of certification standards continues in the form of internal assessments and audits and verification by Certification Bodies. The stop work order for PT Nabire Baru (NB) and PT Sariwana Adi Perkasa (SAP) has been lifted (as of 27th December 2018) in recognition that the conditions defined by the precautionary measure have been satisfactorily met.

The full report can be read here.

Based on the above update, we consider the case is resolved.