Indonesia is among the world’s largest mining countries. It is also a country of conglomerate companies with interests in various businesses, including deforestation-related sectors such as oil palm, industrial trees and mining. This report aims to shed a light on overlapping company groups in the Indonesian palm oil and mining sectors. Some large palm oil …
Chain Reaction Research (CRR) and Forests & Finance held a webinar on July 22nd, 2021 looking into their recent research of who provides financing to companies in palm oil supply chains tied to deforestation. The session covered CRR’s report on the share of palm oil refining covered by NDPE policies. Forests & Finance shared an …
Despite the increase in palm oil refining capacity covered by No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policies, eight of 25 largest refiners are still operating in the leakage market. This report analyzes the financiers and investors in these companies, updating a study published by Chain Reaction Research (CRR) in 2018. The financial institutions are …
Japanese bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) is the target of the first ever climate change investor resolution that takes issue with high-risk commodities that cause deforestation. In March, Kiko Network and three individuals with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), Market Forces, and 350.org Japan filed a resolution with MUFG, calling for the bank to …
Indonesia’s government responded to the country’s loss of forests and peatlands and the 2015 fire and haze crisis with a forest-clearing ban, a moratorium on issuing of licenses for new oil palm plantations, and tightened peatland regulation. This report analyzes gaps in the moratoria amid looser environmental legislation and recently rising palm oil prices, and …
The palm oil value chain contains a number of stakeholder groups, such as smallholders, large plantations, refineries, the fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) industry, the oleochemical and pharmaceutical industry, and the retail and food service sector. In every step of the chain, palm oil is further processed or is embedded in products which contain other ingredients, …
Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation is seeing increasing pressure from NGOs and investors over its climate policies. In particular, the company is under increased scrutiny over its plans for a new coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh and its imports of wood chips, wood pellets, and palm kernel shells, which contribute to forest loss in Southeast …
Beef and soy industries in the Southern Amazon region of Brazil are at risk of almost USD 200 billion of productivity losses due to Amazon deforestation, according to a new scientific study. The study, published in Nature Communications in May 2021, looked at the relationship between deforestation and rainfall. It also assessed the impact of …
A Malaysian conglomerate, Maxim Global, has lost control of its 80,000 hectares (ha) of forest in Papua. The forest forms part of the controversial Tanah Merah project, a block of seven concessions, four of which are the focus of an active RSPO complaint against the palm oil company Pacific Inter-Link/HSA Group. The loss of control …
Malaysia is the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, after Indonesia. Peninsular Malaysia accounts for more than 12 percent of world production and produces approximately half of Malaysia’s palm oil. It also hosts a large number of forests rich in biodiversity and large carbon stock. How are Peninsular Malaysia’s forests protected from more deforestation for oil …
