21 Feb 2017 10:00
21 February 2017
EQUATORIAL PALM OIL plc
("EPO" or the "Company")
Equatorial Palm Oil Sustainability Report 2016 Outlines Company's Community Relations and CSR Work to Show Value to Host Communities
Equatorial Palm Oil's second sustainability report published today
Equatorial Palm Oil today publishes its second sustainability report, intended to provide an update on EPO's Sustainability Report 2015. This 2016 publication is an interim report which updates on the Company's community work in Liberia, illustrating its corporate social responsibility ("CSR") following the detailed report released in 2015. The 2016 report reviews projects to date and detailing how the Company has resolved some of the land rights issues in Liberia, its country of operation.
The 2016 report can be found at:
http://www.epoil.co.uk/uploads/epo-sustainability-report-2016.pdf
The 2016 Sustainability Report also outlines EPO's long-term positions on sustainability, the place of sustainable palm oil in Liberia, EPO's commitment to "No-deforestation" and land rights issues.
The report also addresses:
· EPO's commitment to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), including the key principle of - free, prior informed consent (FPIC) - from communities as essential for land development
· The Company's plans to help make the certified sustainable palm oil industry the basis of stable, long term economic development in Liberia
· EPO and the World Bank Smallerholder Tree Crop Revitialisation Project
· Human Rights Impact Assessment being commissioned
· EPO's tax and royalty regime, employment and training policy
· "Concession Company of the Year 2016" awarded by The Inquirer newspaper
· Case study: EPO schools and clinics
· Data outlining all EPO CSR initiatives for an illustrative time period.
EPO's General Manager - Commercial, Sandy Barblett commented:
"Since launching our first Sustainability Report in 2015, we have had valuable feedback and encouragement for our CSR and sustainability initiatives. This has culminated in EPO being awarded "Concession Company of the Year 2016" by a leading Liberian newspaper.
"EPO has a long term commitment to Liberia and its people, and the Sustainability Report 2016 details what we have done well and where we can add more value."
Contact:
Sandy Barblett, EPO
enquires@epoil.co.uk
Laurence Read, CSR21
lread@csr21.org
EPO's on-going progress on CSR and sustainability can be monitored via the Company's dedicated microsite, which can be found at:
www.csr21.org/company/equatorial-palm-oil