28/09/2008 (NST Online), New York - The American Palm Oil Council (APOC) announced that a Malaysian oil palm plantation has received the first-ever certification as the first plantation to adopt the strictest standards of sustainability for its palm-oil production.

A United States-based association representing the Malaysian palm-oil industry, APOC was set up to inform the American public about the benefits of palm oil used in food applications, biofuel, soaps and candles, and is also said to be the world's only international association formed to codify sustainable industry practices.

"Palm-oil producers in Malaysia, along with the Malaysian government, are committed to preserving the country's natural resources and bio-diversity," said APOC's executive director, Mohd Salleh Kassim.

"We want our customers in the US to know that palm oil purchased in Malaysia is produced in an environmentally-friendly manner. The announcement is a great step forward in providing our international consumers with the documentation to back up our commitment to sustainable practices," Salleh said.

Malaysia-based United Plantations Bhd was awarded the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oils (RSPO) Certificate of Conformance to RSPO Principles and Criteria.

Aimed at promoting the growth of sustainable palm oil, the RSPO defines sustainable palm oil as production "comprised of legal, economically-viable, environmentally-appropriate and socially-beneficial management and operations".

As a qualification for the RSPO award, United Plantations participated in investigations of its nine estates, six mills and conservation areas; interviews with management, staff and workers regarding management systems and social amenities; and a meeting with 150 of the company's stakeholders to ensure that the plantation fulfilled each of the RSPO criteria.

"Much emphasis has been given to developing their commitment to sustainable palm oil," said David Ogg, an assessor, in the RSPO Assessment Report for United Plantations.

"There is a clear commitment to RSPO by top management and by the staff, and workers in the field."

The assessment team also highlighted United Plantations' bio-diversity and environmental conservation efforts in their report, which applauds the establishment of the United Plantations "Lagoon Nature Reserve", a planting project of "rare and endangered Malaysian species", as the APOC calls it.

The lagoon contains 18 tree families, 50 species and more than 2,000 trees, which will create a natural forest system and provide a seed bank for future propagation.

The report also refers to the plantations enforcement of "zero-burn policies" and its research to improve palm oil seeds. -- Bernama