Largest palm oil producer in Latin America, Agropalma Group has been granted the EcoSocial seal by IBD CERTIFICATIONS for its line of organic products. Located in the Northeast of Pará State, Brazil, the Group has 36 thousand hectares of oil palm plantations, 5 extraction mills, a refinery and other initiatives. Organic and EcoSocial palm oil is produced on Palmares Farm, on an area of 4.152 hectares. By the end of this year, Agropalma intends to expand EcoSocial certification to 100% of its area.

Seeking this new certification helped the company to improve its social and environmental performance. To be certified, Agropalma passed an audit process that assessed compliance with Brazilian environmental and labor laws. Additionally, the audit verified that Agropalma Group invested in programs of human and social development for collaborators, suppliers and neighborhood communities, as well as programs of environmental conservation.

Before the audit, the company presented IBD an Assessment Report, with main aspects related to social and environmental impacts of the company’s activities. The document also presents local needs and strategies that Agropalma has developed to deal with those. “The following audits, to be carried out every year, will compare the assessed programs with their situation at the time of the first assessment period, thus allowing verification of their evolution”, explains Tulio Dias, Agropalma Social and Environmental Responsibility Manager.

Social and environmental programs have been chosen considering local demands identified in the Assessment Report , and pointed out forest reserves conservation and education as two priority aspects to be contemplated for EcoSocial Certification. The following programs have been selected: Forest Reserves Protection Programs, Fauna Monitoring Program, Superior Education Program and Agropalma School Program.

The EcoSocial certification system determines that a certified company invests in social and environmental projects.  Conscious clients, concerned about sustainability issues of the Agropalma production chain, can negotiate a value to be invested in Agropalma programs. IBD will audit the use of this money, ensuring that this extra value, paid for certified oil, will be used in actions for improving life quality and environmental conservation  throughout the productive chain.

“In other words, by buying EcoSocial certified palm oil, companies or consumers will contribute for sustainable development of Agropalma farms in the region, without spending  energy with elaboration, implementation and management of projects, because these will be carried out by Agropalma and audited by IBD”, says Dias.






About Agropalma Group
www.agropalma.com.br

Fonte: ACCESSO - Assessoria de Comunicação da Agropalma