PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Indonesia’s plantation and forestry sectors are optimistic about their role in driving decarbonization as many countries strive to reduce carbon emissions. Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, a leading palm oil company, stressed the importance of multi-party cooperation to achieve this goal.
The plantation and forestry industries believe that collaboration is key to contributing to decarbonization efforts. “We must act quickly and collectively to reduce carbon emissions. While Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food has already taken steps, we cannot do it alone,” said Anita Neville, Chief Sustainability and Communication Officer at Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, during a discussion at the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum (IISF) 2024, held at the Jakarta Convention Center on Friday, September 6.
Neville emphasized the need to create a supportive ecosystem, including government policies, accessible financing, and technological innovation, to collectively achieve the zero-emission target.
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As a matter of fact, crude palm oil (CPO) through biodiesel and renewable powerplant contributed in the decarbonization. “We know that palm oil would massively play its roles in the transition. Renewable energy is the significant part of our decarbonization strategies. Until now, 92 percent energy used in our upstream business is the renewable energy. Most of it used circular approaches and changed our production wastes to be energy,” Anita said.
Executive Director Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food, Jesslyne Widjaja said the same. “By increasing the (plantation) productivity and empowering the smallholders, we would increase the harvest productivity and encourage their welfare. With the right policies, sharing what we got from our fuel production, energy, and biomass sustainably, it would be some of the answers. This would collectively need actions,” Jesslyne said, in a discussion forum with the theme ‘Mendorong Masa Depan Transportasi Bebas Emisi’ at Jakarta Convention Center, Thursday (5/9).
By zero emission – roadmap, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food would focus on four things, such as, commitment to zero deforestation, rehabilitation in degraded peat, methane management from the CPO mills and use of renewable energy by substituting coal to biomass.
Jesslyne also said that the mixture of diesel to 35 percent biodiesel (B35) in Indonesia by using 12 million tons biodiesel had reduced up to 30 million tons of green-house gas emission, saved the exchange up to Rp 160 trillion by minimizing imported fossil fuel. Palm oil itsel is the most productive and efficient vegetable oil in the world.
“When Indonesia would increase more biodiesel mixture. as the industry, we would be ready to support it by having sustainable supplies as the solution,” Jesslyne said.
The company did many things, such as, the cultivation in circular approach, replanting program, and inclusive closed loop that met the planters, the buyer companies that also developer for the cooperation, and financial support schemes.
“With the multi-party sector’s supports and the right investment, we would potentially develop palm oil to answer food security, energy, welfare, and climate change mitigation issues through decarbonization,” Jesslyne said. (P2)
