Kuala Lumpur, 22 September 2014 - Sime Darby Plantation is halting all development while a scientific study to determine what constitutes High Carbon Stock (HCS) areas is being carried out.

The HCS study is co-funded by Sime Darby Plantation and once completed, it will guide the company in future developments. This means that HCS areas, once defined, will be off limits to Sime Darby Plantation over and above high conservation value areas like primary forests.

Sime Darby Plantation is cognisant of the complexity, and the current lack of clear and practical thresholds for HCS, and has made the decision to implement an absolute moratorium across its operations.

Once the HCS Study is completed and its findings released, Sime Darby Plantation, together with the other signatories of the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto, will adopt the findings of the study. The 12-month Study aims to provide practical guidance on how to delineate HCS forests, and to establish thresholds for HCS that take into account regional socio-economic conditions and opportunities.

As a signatory to the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto, Sime Darby Plantation has pledged to no deforestation, protecting peat land and to drive positive socio-economic impact for people and communities in the plantations it owns and manages. These commitments extend to smallholders and outgrowers, whether contracted or independent, from whom the company sources fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and other palm products. Sime Darby Plantation requires all its direct suppliers to comply with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil’s (RSPO) Principles and Criteria, and to take immediate remedial action to correct any violations. The company will not do business with serious repeat violators of the RSPO’s Principles and Criteria.