EPPM (29/04/2019) - In celebration of Earth Week and to further its commitment to drive a more sustainable future, Procter & Gamble announced a new collaboration with the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI), International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) and Yara International to help improve the livelihood of smallholders within the P&G palm supply chain in Malaysia.

After a successful pilot ran between 2015 and 2018, the company is expanding the programme that partners with independent palm oil smallholders to increase their overall fruit yields through the training and implementation of best-in-class, and more sustainable agricultural practices.

Smallholders provide about 40 per cent of the world’s palm oil supply, however many of them have limited knowledge or access to agricultural resources to help maximise their crop.

The pilot was focused on assessing the baseline capability of around 2,000 smallholder farmers in Johor, Malaysia. Given its success, the programme is expanding to create 250 learning farms which will be embedded in a P&G-led innovation system.

In the palms of our hands

The goal is to improve yields by 30-50%, improve the livelihood of the smallholder farmers and ensure sustainable practices in the P&G palm oil supply chain.

Jack Ryan, Vice President, P&G Chemicals, said: “We believe we can be a force for good and a force for growth. This programme illustrates our commitment to driving long-term sustainability efforts. We are proud of the work we are doing in Malaysia because it is the right thing to do for the local community and the global consumers we serve who want more sustainable products.”

P&G believes this effort is helping move the smallholders in the right direction and is setting them up for long-term success. The goal is to increase productivity of farms and to meet the continued demand for sustainable palm oil and palm kernel oil.

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands.

The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide.

P&G’s Principle Scientist Gian de Belder received the award of Plastics Ambassador of the Year at the Plastics Recyclers Show Europe held earlier this year in Amsterdam.

Read more at https://www.eppm.com/industry-news/p-g-partners-improve-palm-oil-supply-chain/