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Last update: 2018-12-18 14:32:55

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Golden-Agri Resources head office at Goldenagri Plaza in Singapore. Photo: Google Earth-Streetview
Sectors Agriculture for Palm Oil
Headquarters
Ownership
listed on Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)

Golden Agri is incorporated in Mauritius and listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange since 1999. Flambo International Limited, an investment company representing the Widjaja Family, is its largest shareholder, with a 49.95% stake. Further information on the company's shareholders can be found in its Annual Report (see p166).

Subsidiaries
Golden Veroleum Liberia – Liberia (profile)
PT Smart – Indonesia
Sinar Mas – Indonesia (profile)
Website http://www.goldenagri.com.sg

About Golden Agri-Resources (GAR)

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is the world's second largest palm oil plantation company with a total planted area of 500,345 hectares (including smallholders) as at 20 July 2018. Founded in 1996 and located in Indonesia, it has integrated operations focused on the production of palm-based edible oil and fat. GAR is a subsidiary of the massive Sinar Mas conglomerate. In addition to oil palm, it also has major operations in China that include soybean crushing, noodle manufacturing and refining of edible oil products.

After years of pressure from environmental groups, the company is currently working with The Forest Trust (TFT) to implement its “no deforestation footprint” policy that began in early 2011, attracting cautious optimism from Greenpeace. It is working towards no conversion of High Carbon Stock land (over 35 tons/ha), peatlands, High Conservation Value land, coupled with yield improvements on existing estates. As it desires to achieve these goals, it also aims to be the world's largest palm oil company by leveraging on its third-party plantation relationships (for a list click here, p142) and further growth in value-added oil palm products for export throughout the world. In March 2014 it announced that it would extend its forest conservation policy to third-party suppliers.

Impacts

Social and human rights impacts

In July 2017, 40 Indonesian civil society organisations issued a statement about violations of several labour regulations by PT Sawit Mas Sejahtera, a wholy-owned subsidiary of GAR. Contract workers are not being paid for overtime, are subject to unfair dismissal and receive no severance payments. The Ministry of Labour and Transmigration has reportedly confirmed the validity of these complaints.

AMRC and Sawit Watch investigated in 2017 the labour conditions among two of GAR’s subsidiaries, Tapian Nadenggan and Mitra Kary Agroindo, in Central Kalimantan. They found low wages, bad living conditions for contractual workers and a lack of health and safety protection for many of the workers. Especially woman are hired as casual daily-paid workers which means that they are not entitled housing or health insurance and have to buy their own protective equipement and work tools. Many of these casual workers have to work with chemicals without receiving training or information on the hazard and how to deal with these chemicals. After an accident with a truck of PT Tapian Nadenggan, injured workers did not receive medical treatment or insurance. In addition, results of medical tests are not shared with the workers.

A study of Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) showed in 2013 that GAR was in multiple violation of RSPO's requirements that lands only be acquired from indigenous peoples and local communities with their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).  FPP filed a complaint in October 2014 with the RSPO against GAR subsidiary PT KPC over landgrabbing without land tenure study and participatory mapping. In addition, GAR's subsidiaries are acting in violation with the New Planting Procedure (NPP) by submitting information which they know is false. The RSPO upheld the complaint in March 2015 and required that Golden Agri Resources provides a 1,000 hectares of smallholdings to the Dayak and Melayu communities whose lands it took over for the development of oil palm plantations by its subsidiary PT KPC. In august 2018 FPP and TUK Indonesia filed new complaints for the lack of progress.

Environmental and climate impacts

A Greenomics report from May 2015 shows that in the first quarter of 2015, GAR was the main buyer of CPO produced by a company group, PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya (ANJT) that continues to extensively clear high carbon stock (HCS) forest in West Papua province to date. According to a Mongabay article, GAR announced it would stop sourcing from ANJT at the end of May 2015.

In December 2009, GAR's subsidiary PT SMART was criticised by Greenpeace for its violation of the RSPO standard. In a report citing specific violations, Greenpeace alleged that subsidiaries of PT SMART were carrying out forest clearance prior to receiving the correct permits. It accused the company of burning, clearing and draining areas of deep peat, causing massive green-house gas emissions, destroying orang utan habitat and illegally clearing lands without environmental impact assessments and without other permits. In 2010, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reviewed these allegations.

Other impacts

Under Indonesian law a company or corporate group may not hold more than 100,000 hectares of land in Indonesia. Forest Peoples Programme and  TUK Indonesia filed a complaint with the RSPO since GAR is owning over 300,000 hectares of land in Indonesia. 

Suspension of membership TFT Following "several breaches" by GAR of its policies and a slow transformation, The Forest Trust (TFT) decided to suspend GAR's membership in May 2015. The step is seen by many as a result of GAR's and PT Smart's lackluster handling of the RSPO complaint against them. In November 2015, TFT re-engaged with GAR.

Governance

Financiers

In 2012 Norway's Government Pension Fund Global divested from Golde Agri-Resources, after it revised its investment guidelines to include deforestation as a portfolio risk.

News

| |
Type:
Year:
blog
external news
our news

GREEN CATS 2020 UPDATE: SCORING PALM OIL AND SOY COMPANIES ON FOREST POLICIES AND TRANSPARENCY

2020-12-21 | Forest Heroes
blog
external news
our news

A call to action on the Principles for Responsible Banking: End climate-destructive financing now

2020-10-20 | BankTrack, Rainforest Action Network, and partners
blog
external news
our news

5 new complaints filed against Indonesia’s largest palm oil company

2018-08-16 | Forest Peoples Programmes
blog
external news
our news

Dutch-based banks continue to finance deforestation and land-grabbing

2018-07-02 | Friends of the Earth Netherlands
blog
external news
our news

New report: Towards responsible and inclusive financing of the palm oil sector

2017-11-15 | Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Profundo
blog
external news
our news

Palm oil giants to investigate company found razing Papuan rainforest

2015-06-22 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

After successful bond offer, GAR neglects sustainability commitments.

2015-05-28 | BankTrack Blog
blog
external news
our news

GAR, Wilmar punish palm oil supplier for clearing rainforest in New Guinea

2015-05-28 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Comment on progress by Golden Agri Resources Ltd in implementing their Forest Conservation Policy

2015-05-21 | Greenpeace
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri takes another hit as sustainability guru suspends its membership

2015-05-20 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Response to The Forest Trust statement on 19 May 20 15

2015-05-20 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

Response to The Forest Trust statement on 19 May 20 15

2015-05-20 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

TFT is aware of several breaches of PT SMART’s Forest Conservation Policy (FCP)

2015-05-19 | TFT
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri-Resources: Sadly, No Longer a Green Tiger

2015-05-19 | Forest Heroes
blog
external news
our news

Petition - Moratorium for the Leuser Ecosystem

2015-05-12 | RAN
blog
external news
our news

Palm sustainability group puts expansion ban on Golden Agri unit

2015-05-11 | Reuters
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri's wings clipped by RSPO in West Kalimantan

2015-05-08 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Palm giants ask Indonesian gov't to clear path toward sustainability

2015-05-01 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Banks and pension funds continue to bankroll deforestation and land grabs

2015-04-30 | The Guardian
blog
external news
our news

Banks warned over ESG risks of palm oil investments

2015-04-24 | Ethical Performance
blog
external news
our news

Banks raising $400m for palm oil expansion 'must examine high risks'

2015-04-20 | The Ecologist
blog
external news
our news

Banks cautioned to examine high risks in palm oil finance

2015-04-16 | FoE US
blog
external news
our news

Criticism of GAR and Wilmar African oil palm projects highlight global ‘no-deforestation' challenges

2015-04-16 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Briefing to banks and potential investors on the ongoing risks and outstanding social conflicts in the palm oil agribusiness sector: Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) bond offering

Joint NGO statement
2015-04-15 | Nijmegen
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri-Resources Issues Comprehensive Response to RSPO Complaints Panel

2015-03-25 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

Indonesia palm oil battle pits farmers against big plantations - TRFN

2015-03-12 | Reuters
blog
external news
our news

Forest Peoples Programme complaint against Golden Agri Resources upheld

2015-03-09 | Forest Peoples Programme
blog
external news
our news

Greenpeace: zero deforestation pioneer makes progress, but still has work to do

2014-12-22 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri Resources - A Progress Report

2014-12-22 | Greenpeace
blog
external news
our news

Response to Rainforest Action Network report, “The Last Place on Earth”

2014-11-12 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

Response to Complaint from Forest Peoples Programme

2014-10-23 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

Golden Agri Resources postpones palm oil expansion plans in Borneo in response to FPP complaint

2014-10-23 | Forest Peoples Programme
blog
external news
our news

'No forests, no cash': palm oil giants commit to sustainability, but will they follow through?

2014-10-21 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

RSPO complaint against GAR filed by FPP and TuK

2014-10-13 | RSPO
blog
external news
our news

Palm oil companies say they'll put forest destruction on hold. But what happens next?

2014-09-25 | Greenpeace
blog
external news
our news

Plantation companies agree to process to define zero deforestation commitment

2014-09-17 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Indonesia Lawmakers Draft Bill to Slash Foreign Ownership of Plantations

2014-08-15 | The Jakarta Globe
blog
external news
our news

The history of the contentious number behind zero deforestation commitments for palm oil

2014-07-15 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news

After GAR expands policy, over 50% of world's palm oil bound by zero deforestation commitments

2014-03-03 | mongabay
blog
external news
our news

Response from GAR regarding FPP’s Independent Review of the Social Impacts of Golden Agri - Resources' Forest Conservation Policy in Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan

2014-01-17 | GAR
blog
external news
our news

Independent Review of the Social Impacts of Golden Agri Resources' Forest Conservation Policy in Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan

2014-01-16 | Forest Peoples Programme, TuK
blog
external news
our news

Conflict or Consent? The oil palm sector at a crossroads

2013-11-07 | Forest Peoples Programme
blog
external news
our news
private

Liberia: Gov't Shocked - Over Resource Deals Violation

2013-05-06
blog
external news
our news
private

Sinar Mas firm to invest $1.6 billion in Liberian palm oil

2013-03-26 | Jakarta Post
blog
external news
our news

Sinar Mas firm to invest $1.6 billion in Liberian palm oil

2013-03-26 | The Jakarta Post
blog
external news
our news
private

Largest Liberian palm oil project is failing locals: study

2013-03-22
blog
external news
our news
private

Golden Agri to spend $550m for expansion

2013-03-14
blog
external news
our news
private

Greenpeace Lauds Forest Conservation Pilot From Indonesian Palm Oil Producer

2013-03-13
blog
external news
our news

Norway's wealth fund dumps 23 palm oil companies under new deforestation policy

2013-03-11 | Mongabay
blog
external news
our news
private

Five former Cargill traders join Singapore palm oil firm

2013-01-14
blog
external news
our news

Liberian communities affected by oil palm land deals gather, release statement on expansion of Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum Plantations

2012-12-03 | Sustainable Development Institute
blog
external news
our news

FACTBOX-Indonesia's palm oil tycoons drive investment spree

2012-07-15 | Reuters
blog
external news
our news

GAR and TFT provide update on Forest Conservation Policy fieldwork

2011-07-07 | Jakarta | TFT

Documents

Type:
Year:
our publications
2020-10-20 00:00:00

A Call to Action on the Principles for Responsible Banking: End Climate-Destructive Financing Now

Joint civil society statement
2020-10-20 00:00:00 | BankTrack, Rainforest Action Network, and others
annual reports
2018-03-14 00:00:00

Annual report 2017

2018-03-14 00:00:00 | Golden Agri-Resources
company documents
2018-07-20 00:00:00

Golden Agri-Resources statement on Golden Veroleum (Liberia)’s action plan

2018-07-20 00:00:00 | Golden Agri Resources (GAR)
company documents
2018-07-20 00:00:00

Voluntary suspension of membership

(GVL's announcement of leaving the RSPO)
2018-07-20 00:00:00 | Golden Veroleum Petroleum
ngo documents
2014-11-11 00:00:00

The Last Place on Earth

|Exposing the Threats to the Leuser Ecosystem
2014-11-11 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network
ngo documents
2015-05-04 00:00:00

The new snake oil?

Violence, threats, and false promises at the heart of Liberia's palm oil expansion
2015-05-04 00:00:00 | Global Witness
other documents
2018-07-24 00:00:00

RSPO Complaints Panel's decision on the GVL Complaints

2018-07-24 00:00:00 | RSPO
ngo documents
2016-10-31 00:00:00

Liberian Industrial Agriculture Livelihood Impact and Economic Value Study

2016-10-31 00:00:00 | Sync Consult Limited
ngo documents
2015-05-04 00:00:00

High Risk in the Rainforest

Golden Agri-Resources And Golden Veroleum Liberia’s Palm Oil Project In Liberia
2015-05-04 00:00:00 | Friends of the Earth
ngo documents
2016-11-07 00:00:00

Protecting the Leuser Ecosystem

A Shared Responsibility
2016-11-07 00:00:00 | Rainforest Action Network
ngo documents
2015-05-20 00:00:00

Golden Agri - Resources, the biggest buyer of CPO produced by a company that is relentlessly clearing HCS forests in Papua

2015-05-20 00:00:00 | Greenomics
company documents
2015-04-16 00:00:00

Response to press release by NGOs issued on 15 April 2015

2015-04-16 00:00:00 | GAR
our publications
2015-04-15 00:00:00

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) bond offering

Briefing to banks and potential investors on the ongoing risks and outstanding social conflicts in the palm oil agribusiness sector
2015-04-15 00:00:00 | Joint NGO statement
annual reports
2015-04-13 00:00:00

Annual Report 2014

2015-04-13 00:00:00 | GAR
ngo documents
2015-04-08 00:00:00

Hollow promises:An FPIC assessment of Golden Veroleum and GoldenAgri-Resource’s palm oil project insouth-eastern Liberia

2015-04-08 00:00:00 | Forest Peoples Programme
ngo documents
2015-02-16 00:00:00

Kuasa Taipan Kelapa sawit di Indonesia

in Bahasa Indonesia
2015-02-16 00:00:00 | TuK, Profundo
ngo documents
2015-02-16 00:00:00

Tycoon-controlled oil palm groups in Indonesia - Executive Summary

2015-02-16 00:00:00 | TuK, Profundo
company documents
2015-02-16 00:00:00

HCV & ESIA Reports

2015-02-16 00:00:00 | Golden Veroleum Liberia
company documents
2014-12-31 00:00:00

Countering deforestation and building a strong foundation for community aspirations with sustainable oil palm

Dialogue NotesBased on Greenpeace Assessment
2014-12-31 00:00:00 | Golden Veroleum Liberia
ngo documents
2014-12-16 00:00:00

Golden Agri Resources - A progress report

2014-12-16 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
our publications
2014-11-25 00:00:00

Going out, but going green?

Assessing the implementation of China's Green Credit Guidelines
2014-11-25 00:00:00 | BankTrack, Friends of the Earth US
company documents
2013-07-15 00:00:00

Collective Bargaining Agreement between GVL and the Golden Veroleum Workers Union of Liberia (Govawul)

2013-07-15 00:00:00 | Golden Veroleum Liberia
ngo documents
2014-10-21 00:00:00

Golden'Agri' demonstrates' '' real'commitment' to'HCS'forest' conservation ' but ' legal'threat'lies' ahead

2014-10-21 00:00:00 | Greenomics
ngo documents
2014-10-14 00:00:00

Letter of Complaint Submission

2014-10-14 00:00:00 | Forest Peoples Programme
ngo documents
2014-01-31 00:00:00

INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF GOLDEN AGRI RESOURCES’ FOREST CONSERVATION POLICY IN KAPUAS HULU DISTRICT, WEST KALIMANTAN

2014-01-31 00:00:00 | TuK, FPP
company documents
2014-01-01 00:00:00

GAR Progress Report 2013 for the RSPO

2014-01-01 00:00:00 | GAR
annual reports
2014-01-01 00:00:00

Annual Report 2013

2014-01-01 00:00:00 | GAR
annual reports
2014-01-01 00:00:00

CSR Report 2013

2014-01-01 00:00:00 | GAR
ngo documents
2013-12-04 00:00:00

Conflict or Consent

Summary case study on the situation ofGolden Veroleum Liberia’s oil palm concession
2013-12-04 00:00:00 | Forest Peoples Program
ngo documents
2013-11-01 00:00:00

Conflict or Consent? - Full report

The oil palm sector at a crossroads
2013-11-01 00:00:00 | FPP, Walhi, TuK and others
company documents
2013-02-20 00:00:00

Independent Assessment of FPIC process

Golden Veroleum Liberia Inc
2013-02-20 00:00:00 | TFT
company documents
2012-12-31 00:00:00

Annual Communication of Progress 2011-2012 to the RSPO

2012-12-31 00:00:00 | GAR
annual reports
2012-12-31 00:00:00

Annual Report 2012

2012-12-31 00:00:00 | GAR
ngo documents
2012-12-01 00:00:00

Human rights-based analysisof the agricultural concessionagreements betweenSime DarbyandGolden Veroleumand theGovernment of Liberia

2012-12-01 00:00:00 | Forest Peoples Programme
ngo documents
2012-10-29 00:00:00

GREENPEACE SCORECARD ON PALM OIL PRODUCERS - Full Table of Company Responses

2012-10-29 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
ngo documents
2012-10-01 00:00:00

Scorecard on Palm Oil producers

2012-10-01 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
ngo documents
2012-10-01 00:00:00

Letter of complaint to the RSPO

from indigenous Butaw Kru tribes and inhabitants from several local communities within the proposed Golden Veroleum 220,000 ha oil palm concession in Liberia
2012-10-01 00:00:00 | Green Advocates International, communties
ngo documents
2012-09-14 00:00:00

Palm Oil's new frontier

How industrial expansion threatens Africa's rainforests
2012-09-14 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
company documents
2012-06-10 00:00:00

HIGH CARBON STOCK FOREST STUDY REPORT

Defining and identifying high carbon stock forest areas for possible conservation
2012-06-10 00:00:00
ngo documents
2012-01-01 00:00:00

Smell no Taste

The Social Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in Liberia
2012-01-01 00:00:00 | CICR Colombia
company documents
2011-02-09 00:00:00

Forest Conservation Policy

2011-02-09 00:00:00 | GAR, PT SMART
ngo documents
2011-01-01 00:00:00

Le rôle d’UBS dans le financement du groupe Sinar Mas et la déforestation des forêts vierges indonésiennes

2011-01-01 00:00:00 | Profundo, Greenpeace
ngo documents
2010-12-31 00:00:00

What does the contract say?

2010-12-31 00:00:00 | SDI - Sustainable Development Institute
company documents
2010-09-01 00:00:00

Concession Agreement between GLV and the Government of the Republic of Liberia

2010-09-01 00:00:00 | GLV
ngo documents
2010-07-01 00:00:00

How Sinar Mas is pulping the planet

2010-07-01 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
ngo documents
2009-03-20 00:00:00

ILLEGAL FOREST CLEARANCE AND RSPO GREENWASH: CASE STUDIES OF SINAR MAS

2009-03-20 00:00:00 | Greenpeace
ngo documents
2008-04-30 00:00:00

Burning up Borneo

How Unilever palm oil suppliers are Burning up Borneo
2008-04-30 00:00:00 | Greenpeace

Media








Links

Annual Report 2012

http://www.goldenagri.com.sg/pdfs/Annual%20Report/GAR-AR2012-FinalApproved.pdf

What has been learned from first year of Golden Agri's forest conservation policy in West Kalimantan?

http://www.greenomics.org/docs/Report_201205_GAR_SCP_Review.pdf

What has been learned from first year of Golden Agri's forest conservation policy in West Kalimantan?

http://www.greenomics.org/docs/Report_201205_GAR_SCP_Review.pdf

Need a break? So does the forest - Greenpeace action on Nestle

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/kitkat/

RSPO complaint against GAR

http://www.rspo.org/members/complaints/status-of-complaints/view/75
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