September 27, 2024

GGC-GIZ scales up cooperation towards low-carbon sustainable oil palm

Activities, News and Events, SPOPP CLIMA, Sustainable Palm Oil Production and Procurement

Story and Photos: Sustainable Palm Oil Production and Procurement Project on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation/ Agriculture and Food Cluster

Krabi, 27 September 2024 – Global Green Chemicals Public Company Limited (GGC) teams up with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusamenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, palm oil mill partners, and smallholder farmers in southern Thailand to scale up low-carbon oil palm production and procurement through a newly-launched Sustainable Palm Oil and Oil Palm Production and Procurement Project on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation (SPOPP CLIMA).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today to underscore the joint Thai-German collaboration and public-private partnership in reducing climate impacts through SPOPP CLIMA project implementation. GGC and GIZ management executives and representatives from Department of Agriculture, palm oil mill operators and oil palm smallholders in Chumphon, Krabi, Phang-Nga and Traning provinces participated in the signing ceremony held at Centara Ao Nang Beach Resort and Spa.

SPOPP CLIMA is a scale-up and follow-on project to the Sustainable Palm Oil and Oil Palm Production and Procurement (SPOPP) project. In 2022, GGC, GIZ together with palm oil mill operators and more than 1,000 oil palm smallholders throughout the project’s four pilot provinces of Krabi, Trang, Chumphon, and Phang Nga signed an MoU to drive sustainable palm oil production and procurement.

Funded by GGC and implemented by GIZ with collaboration of the Department of Agriculture, the successful implementation of the SPOPP project highlighted the role of public-private partnership to enhance smallholder capacities in sustainable palm oil production practices. Over 1,000 oil palm smallholders from a total of six smallholder groups completed the RSPO independent smallholder certification audit.

Kridsada Prasertsuko, GGC Managing Director, announced: “We drive our agency to meet the strategy of sustainable business in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nation. Our business strategy covers all aspects including economic, social and environmental development, to create trust on sustainable business growth, adding value and upscaling business operations to meet national and international standards of leading environmental-friendly petrochemical products. We’re committed to 20% carbon emission reduction by Year 2030 and the Net Zero target by Year 2050. We’re also supporting climate change management through business operations and product manufacturing. GGC links a successful implementation of the SPOPP project with our sustainable business strategy of carbon emission reduction. GGC will work with GIZ to implement SPOPP CLIMA during Year 2024-2027 to support our oil palm smallholders in reducing carbon emission and carbon footprints. Together, our goal is to achieve the Net Zero goal by Year 2070, while promoting sustainable oil palm production following the European Union Deforestation-free Regulations (EUDR), effective on January 1, 2025. This cooperation will not only reduce climate impact on the agricultural sector, but also enhance sustainability to the oil palm industry and visibility of the Thai oil palm industry in the global market.”

Julian Tost, Representative of the Agriculture and Food Cluster, GIZ Thailand, remarked: “the SPOPP CLIMA Project aims to shape the transformation of agriculture in Thailand towards sustainable and climate-smart production. The project also aligns with the cluster’s mission and goal of promoting food security, enhancing livelihoods and resilience of farmers, fostering economic growth while protecting the environment and mitigating climate change. This accomplishment of the SPOPP project unlocked the potential to generate 11,047 tonnes of RSPO-certified palm oil and 1,243 tonnes of traceable RSPO-certified palm kernel oil for the global market and overall sustainable palm oil production in Thailand.”

“The partnership with GGC through SPOPP CLIMA leverages sustainable, traceable and low carbon value chain. Collaboration between public and private agencies palm oil mill operators and farmers in Thailand will lead to a joint development of over 1,000 model farmers, and more than 50 trainers to continue expanding success and sustainability of oil palm production to other areas. Data of carbon footprints will also be collected during training sessions throughout the implementation period of the SPOPP CLIMA project, leading to an opportunity for low-carbon oil palm plantation management in the long run.”