Golden Agri-Resources

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

Land rights
Through its social and environmental policy, the company refers to respecting and recognising the long-term customary rights of the indigenous peoples, local and forest-dwelling communities to their traditional and community land and requires that its suppliers adhere to a similar standard. It also refers to its grievance mechanism that covers land rights issues and is accessible to external individuals and communities. The company describes its process for providing prompt and adequate remediation through development of action plans to address conflicts, options for communities to access independent legal advice, as well as third-party mediators.

Sustainable development strategy
The company discloses the process and outcomes of its materiality assessment. While it reports against most of its material issues, it is yet to set time-bound targets for all of these issues.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company describes its sustainability governance structure, which includes oversight by the board and senior management. However, no evidence was found regarding the inclusion of sustainability metrics in the remuneration policy of the highest governance body.

Stakeholder engagement
The company provides an overview of stakeholder engagement activities, method and frequency of engagement and outcomes. While the majority of the engagement focuses on environmental and social issues, the company has room for improvement by including nutrition topics as well.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
While the company discloses its GHG emissions, it is yet to show reductions in emissions. Neither has it set reduction targets aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystems
The company provides qualitative evidence of achieving deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains for its relevant high-risk commodities through its social and environment policy. However, the company is yet to set a DCF target and disclose the proportion of commodities that are already DCF.

Fertiliser and pesticide use
The company provides qualitative evidence that it is implementing nutritional management plans and integrated pest management approaches. However, it is yet to set targets to increase the percentage of production from sustainable agricultural practices that optimise the use of fertilisers and pesticides.

Water use
While the company discloses its water consumption, it does not report a reduction in consumption, nor has it set reduction targets to reduce water consumption across its own operations.

Food loss and waste
The company states it has achieved 100% recycling of waste in its upstream operations by reusing empty fruit bunches and liquid organic waste as fertilisers and fuel. It can further strengthen its commitment by setting food loss and waste reduction targets covering all of its operations.

Availability of healthy foods
Golden Agri-Resources provides qualitative evidence of improving the nutritional quality of its products through removal of trans fatty acids and fortification of its cooking oils and margarines with vitamins. The company can further improve by providing quantitative evidence of its product reformulations and setting targets to increase the percentage of such healthy products in its portfolio.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
Through its Alternative Livelihood Programme, Golden Agri-Resources helps villages to produce a variety of crops sustainably, thus contributing to food security. The company can strengthen its commitment by reporting on strategic commercial activities designed to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods.

Clear and transparent labelling
The company does not disclose that it provides nutritional information through clear, transparent and accurate labelling.

Workforce nutrition
The company demonstrates that it is committed to workforce nutrition by providing healthy food at work. The company has an opportunity to strengthen its commitment by promoting nutrition-focused health checks and nutrition education and disclosing quantitative evidence of the percentage of food offerings with healthy options.

Food safety
While the company provides evidence that some of its palm oil refineries and plants are certified to a food safety programme certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative or other widely recognised certification, it has an opportunity to expand certification across all of its operations.

Child labour
The company indicates that it will not use child labour and requires that its suppliers adhere to the same standard. However, no evidence was found regarding requiring suppliers to verify the age of workers hired by codifying the requirement in a supplier code of conduct or similar contractual document.

Forced labour
The company indicates that it will not use forced labour and requires that its suppliers adhere to the same standard. While the company requires that its suppliers not retain workers’ personal documents, no requirement was found regarding not restricting workers’ freedom of movement.

Living wage
The company does not disclose that it pays its workers a living wage or requires its suppliers to do the same. Neither has it set targets to do so in the future.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company recognises the specific health and safety risks to vulnerable groups such as contract, temporary, casual and migrant workers. It can further improve by providing evidence of support activities that improve the health and safety of vulnerable groups.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company provides evidence of activities supporting farmers’ productivity and resilience, including regular training on good agricultural practices, technical assistance, and access to seeds and fertilisers. However, the company is yet to disclose the impact of its support activities.

Golden Agri-Resources has a clear commitment to respect human rights and the ILO core labour rights. The company provides limited information on its human rights due diligence process, which includes the identification of salient human rights risks in its operations and supply chain, but can improve its disclosure regarding assessing and taking action on human rights risks. As part of this process, the company provides grievance mechanisms that are accessible to employees as well as external individuals and communities.

Golden Agri-Resources commits to respecting the health and safety of its workers and discloses the same expectations for its supply chain partners. The company can improve its score by disclosing quantitative information on the health and safety of its workers and how its monitors the health and safety performance of its supply chain partners. There is room for Golden Agri-Resources to improve by strengthening its commitments on working hours for its supply chain partners, disclosing the percentage of employees by indicators of diversity and improving its disclosure regarding gender equality and women’s empowerment. No sufficient evidence of commitments or disclosure was found regarding living wages and collective bargaining.

Golden Agri-Resources provides limited disclosure regarding responsible tax and can improve by disclosing information on income tax payments on a country-by-country basis. Similarly, the company can strengthen its anti-bribery and anti-corruption reporting by disclosing its processes for identifying its bribery and corruption risks and impacts in specific locations or activities covering its own operations. No sufficient evidence of commitments or disclosure was found regarding personal data protection and responsible lobbying and political engagement.