Sime Darby to meet sustainability criteria by 2011

Malaysian oil palm grower Sime Darby Bhd said it expects to meet the sustainability criteria for producers of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) by the first half of 2011. The criteria include commitments to preserve flora and fauna, as well as manage local communities responsibly. Sime Darby’s first RSPO-certified strategic operating unit (SOU) in Sandakan Bay, Sabah in east Malaysia was certified in late 2008; thus, company officials said they hope the certification of the rest of Sime Darby’s 65 SOUs in Malaysia, Indonesia and Liberia will be completed by the end of next year. (July 29, 2009)