September 20, 2017

Letter sent by SumOfUs to Goodman Fielder, asking that the company clarify its palm oil policy.

Dear Mr Weitemeyer,

We are SumOfUs - a global consumer group that campaigns to hold big corporations accountable. We have 10 million members who have taken over 50 million actions worldwide since SumOfUs launched.

We seek clarification of Goodman Fielder’s palm oil procurement policy and whether the policy requires its suppliers to achieve verified compliance with no deforestation, no peat, and no exploitation production practices.

Goodman Fielder’s published position articulates a ‘shared concern about the impacts of deforestation’ but there is no evidence to suggest that Goodman Fielder has implemented additional measures to end deforestation in its global supply chain.

In this regard, Goodman Fielder is lagging behind its peers that have published policies and taken action that go well beyond the RSPO standard in their sustainability efforts.

RSPO certification is inadequate, and cannot be used as a verification mechanism to demonstrate truly responsible palm oil production. It still allows “certified sustainable” palm oil producers to destroy high carbon stock rainforests and carbon-rich peatlands, and to violate the rights of communities and workers.

Given the acquisition of Goodman Fielder by Wilmar International and First Pacific, we are writing to confirm if your company is currently working to strengthen its published palm oil procurement policies and establish due diligence processes to ensure that its business partners are upholding its social and environmental values.

SumOfUs and its partners have successfully campaigned to convince companies such as Kellogg's, Mars, and Ferrero to adopt truly responsible palm oil policies.

If it is the case that Goodman Fielder’s palm oil policy continues to rely solely on the RSPO certification system, we ask that you follow the lead of these companies and strengthen policies and practices to align with the global No Deforestation, No Peatland, and No Exploitation benchmarks for palm oil production.

We request a response to this letter by 31 August 2017. We appreciate a prompt reply as your response will determine our next steps.