Palm Oil Processing

Webinar: Roles of Palm Oil Industry in Achieving UNSDGs

Webinar: Roles of Palm Oil Industry in Achieving UNSDGs
  • Date From 4th July 2022
  • Date To 4th July 2022
  • Price Free of charge, open to all.
  • Location Online: 16:00 MYT. Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes.

Overview

IChemE's Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group (POPSIG) and Malaysian Academic Research on Palm Oil Sustainability Network (ARPOS) are pleased to jointly present a seminar that share the latest academic and industrial advancements in the palm oil industry. The panellists will present their views to lead palm oil industry towards the achievements of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Theme: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The 17 SDGs are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. From ending poverty to tackling climate change, the palm oil industry has its role to play to overcome the crisis of generations. Sustainable palm oil has impacted positively on human living. The SDG seminar explores the sustainability potential of palm oil on global sustainability development.

Highlights

Introduction to SDGs

Moving forward from the Millennium Development Goals, we are currently in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals. While poverty remains a major focus, there is a broad recognition that poverty alleviation must go hand-in- hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. This approach is often simplified under the "people, planet, profit" trifecta. This brief presentation covers the history of the transition of MDG to SDG, the rationale of the UN SDG approach, and the framework for SDGs in Malaysia. It aims to set the stage for the more in-depth discussion that will follow on how the Malaysian palm oil sector can contribute to the achievement of UN SDGs.

Moving Towards SDGs with MPOCC and MSPO Certification Scheme

The presentation will brief about MPOCC’s way forward to become a sustainability driver and how the MSPO Certification Scheme is part of the solution for the industry and the nation in achieving UNSDGs. Strengthening and diversifying its operation, clear strategic direction, support from various stakeholders, industry development and transformation as well as credible scheme and standards are keys. MSPO as a tool to achieve the means of SDGs has set the tone of the Malaysian palm oil sustainability landscape, steering individual players and multi-stakeholders jurisdictional efforts, leaving no behind including independent small farmers.

Reimagining Plantations

Sime Darby Plantation has been investing in R&D since the 1920’s and has initiated many projects on palm oil production and milling, either improving productivity or reducing/treating waste products towards reducing the carbon and water footprint. We will present some of these innovations that support the journey of the Industry towards these goals and ultimately being fully circularised.

Circular Economy Promotes Sustainability of Palm Oil Industry

In order to enhance the resource conservation and sustainability of palm oil industry, the generated waste can be reused/recycled within palm oil sector. However, there are still large amount of waste generated being disposed. To address such issue, a circular economy approach shall be developed around the palm oil industry. The generated waste from palm oil sector can be used as feedstock or input to other industries such as polymer, construction materials, furniture, paper production, etc. Via such approach, materials that are low in cost, weight, renewable and biodegradable can be used as feedstock and create a self-regenerative system amongst the industries. In this talk, a systematic approach to promote circular economy for palm oil industry are to be discussed.

Contribution of an Oil Palms Plantation Company Towards Achieving SDGs

The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by all UN members which comprise of seventeen goals to work towards so as to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs collectively is a clarion call for the countries and societies to work together to create a sustainable future where poverty would be eliminated, standards of health and education would be improved, and continuous economic growth could be achieved and sustained, whilst the challenges of climate change could be addressed and tackled.

SDGs and Beyond: Malaysian Palm Oil’s Competitive Challenges & Opportunities

Looking into Malaysia’s position relative to its competitors in the palm oil trade, let us touch on how UN SDG and other metrics provide insights, and ask how voluntary efforts are keeping up to expectations and regulatory shifts for ESG compliance on labour and carbon. How might UN SDGs be implemented in terms of governance, stakeholder engagement and initiatives?

Speakers

Mohd Hasbollah Suparyono, Senior Manager of Strategic Management Department, Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council

Mr Hasbollah started his career in the palm oil industry in 2010 as an Assistant Manager and Internal Auditor. He gained experience with 3 public-listed plantation companies in Malaysia, where he was directly involved in plantation management and operation, implementation of sustainability certification schemes, operational and financial audit, and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Eager to serve the country, he joined MPOCC in 2016 as a Senior Executive and was appointed as a Manager of the Training & Outreach Unit in 2019. Through management of change, he was appointed as Senior Manager of the Strategic Management Department in 2021 and headed the portfolio until now.

Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, Chief Research & Development Officer, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, Malaysia

Dr Harikrishna obtained BSc (Hons) Plant Sciences from University of London (Wye College), and completed his PhD in Plant Developmental and Molecular Biology at University of Leicester. Prior to joining Sime Darby Plantation, he had experience of working in academia as well as industry in the USA and Malaysia with over 30 year’s post-graduate experience in biotechnology. In 2012 he was inducted into the Malaysian Academy of Science as a fellow. He spearheaded Sime Darby Plantation Genome Project resulting in the first successful commercial planting of Genome Select in 2016. This innovative break-through was Internationally recognised by a Bronze medal, Edison Award 2017 for sustainability.

Denny K. S. Ng, Professor, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia

Professor Ir Dr Ng is Head, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia. Professor Ng is well published over 220 papers with an h-index of 40. His areas of specialisation include development of sustainable production and consumption strategies, optimisation of sustainable value chain of palm oil industry, energy management, resource conservation via process integration techniques, synthesis and analysis of biomass processing and integrated bio refineries.  With his excellence contributions, he received number of international and national recognitions such as Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Augustine S H Ong International Special Award on Innovations and Inventions in Palm Oil (Young Scientist) 2021; listed as Top 2% of scientists of their main subfield discipline in 2019, Stanford List; Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) in 2018; etc. Apart from focusing on research and development (R&D), Professor Ng also applied his R&D output in industrial consultation projects. To date, Professor Ng has received more than RM 3.5 million research grants from government and industries to develop his research and commercialise the outputs.

Galau Melayong, Head of Sustainability, Sarawak Oil Palms Berhad, Malaysia

Galau obtained MSc in Plantation Management from UPM. He started his career at Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd (SOPB) as a Cadet planter in 1989. He held post of Estates Manager, Plantation Controller and today the Head of Sustainability at SOPB. He is the Sub-Committee Chairman of Sarawak Plantation Owners Associations (SOPPOA) for sustainability and certifications. He is also an active member of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) Technical Working Group (TWG) under Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC), and MSPO Expert Working Group (EWG) under Department of Standard Malaysia (DSM). Since 2017, he has been a member of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for High Conservation Value (HCV) Malaysia under HCV Malaysia.

Khor Yu Leng, Research Head for Southeast Asia, Segi Enam Advisors Pte Ltd

Yu Leng is a senior economic consultant at Segi Enam Advisors Pte Ltd, based in Southeast Asia. She works on trade-competitive landscape studies on palm oil, rubber, pulpwood, timber, biomass, renewable fuels and other agribusiness; and leads political economic and ESG studies. Specialised on trade, sustainable supply-chains and economics, she has advised Fortune 500 companies, the European Commission (as lead economist on its Palm Oil Study, 2018) and state agencies in ASEAN in scores of studies; and presented at universities in Cambridge, Paris, Oslo, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. She is on expert panels, presenting to banks and fund managers in the major financial hubs, and to global NGOs like the WWF. She is a regular on live radio and TV at BFM 89.9 on agribusiness, ESG topics and more. Yu Leng was trained at Oxford University and the London School of Economics and started her career on the sell and buy-sides at financial institutions. Her work in market intelligence also provides her with a deep-dive understanding of issues for those involved in procurement, FDI, M&A and partner reputation reviews.

Moderator

Helena Varkkey, Associate Professor, Department of International and Strategic Studies, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia

Dr Helena is an Associate Professor at the Department of International and Strategic Studies, University of Malaya. Her research focuses on the governance of transboundary haze pollution and the political economy of palm oil in Southeast Asia. More broadly, she seeks to understand how economic development can be reconciled with environmental sustainability in this resource-rich region. Her monograph on “The Haze Problem in Southeast Asia: Palm Oil and Patronage” was published in 2016.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenters' own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

16:00–18:30 MYT.

Programme

  • 16:00—16:05 
    Welcoming remark

  • 16:05—16:15 
    Opening speech: Introduction to the UN SDGs by Dr Helena Varkkey

  • 16:15—16:30 
    Presentation 1: Moving towards SDGs with MPOCC and MSPO Certification Scheme by Mohd Hasbollah Bin Suparyono

  • 16:30—16:45 
    Presentation 2: Reimagining Plantations by Dr Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam

  • 16:45—17:00
    Presentation 3: Circular Economy Promotes Sustainability of Palm Oil Industry by Professor Denny Ng

  • 17:00—17:15 
    Presentation 4: Contribution of an Oil Palms Plantation Company Towards Achieving SDGs by Galau Melayong

  • 17:15—18:15 
    Discussion forum: Roles of Palm Oil Industry in Achieving UN SDGs - jointly contributed by Khor Yu Leng, Mohd Hasbollah Suparyono, Dr Harikrishna Kulaveerasingam, Professor Denny Ng, Galau Melayong, Dr Helena Varkkey

  • 18:15—18:30 
    Concluding remark

Brochure

View the PDF Brochure here.

Acknowledgement

POPSIG and ARPOS gratefully appreciate the support provided by:

  • Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)
  • Monash-Industry Palm Oil Education and Research Platform (MIPO)
  • Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia-Yayasan Sime Darby (UKM-YSD) Chair for Sustainability

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Zoom.

You are advised to join the webinar at least ten minutes before the scheduled start time, to allow for your computer to connect.

Disclaimer: IChemE will not be storing or controlling any data linked to this event.

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