Following a year of intensive work, the HCS Convergence Working Group has reached an agreement on convergence between the HCSA and HCS+ approaches. The Group has agreed on a single, coherent set of principles for implementation of companies’ commitments to “no deforestation” in their palm oil operations and supply chains.
The agreement outlines:
• Fundamental elements of the converged methodology that protects HCS forests, HCV areas and peatlands (including forest stratification and decision-making in "young regenerating forest" within fragmented landscapes), the role of carbon and robust implementation of FPIC and other social requirements.
• The intention for functional and institutional integration of HCS with the HCV Resource Network.
• A roadmap for resolving outstanding issues through a collaborative process.
"The Agreement is a significant step in uniting the palm oil industry and all its stakeholders toward a common understanding about how to protect forests and peatlands. More importantly, it will lead to collaborative and concrete actions on the ground toward achieving this goal,” said Dato' Lee's Yeow Chor, Group CEO, IOI Corporation Berhad.
Organisations reaching agreement are:
Asian Agri
Cargill
Forest Peoples Programme
Golden Agri-Resources
Greenpeace
IOI Corporation Berhad
KLK
Musim Mas
Rainforest Action Network
Sime Darby
TFT
Unilever
Union of Concerned Scientists
Wilmar International
WWF