SMART Gives the Facts

The independent verification report today reveals that Greenpeace's claims about SMART were exaggerated or wrong. Yet, Greenpeace continues to put out wrong information and pictures claiming that SMART is responsible for deforestation of primary forests and the destruction of orang-utan habitats.

The independent verification team concluded that the degradation process of forest areas that were habitats for the orang-utan happened before SMART started land clearing and planting. The pictures taken on 5 and 6 July by Greenpeace have already been disputed. SMART has since taken members of the media on a helicopter trip to these locations to walk the ground and see the facts for themselves.

Greenpeace used pictures showing an excavator on our land, implying that we were clearing the land. We were not.

SMART is in fact using the excavator to construct a canal, which will supply the optimal quantity of water for the conservation and protection of the peat land. SMART only operates on degraded land.

The greenery depicted in the photographs is High Conservation Value land within our plantations which we are conserving. These are sanctuaries that we have created to preserve biodiversity. They are not the remains of primary forest as Greenpeace is misleading people to believe.

SMART reaffirms its commitment to sustainable palm oil production and we invite all stakeholders to look for the real facts.

Palm oil is a strategic product for Indonesia and we are committed to developing this industry while caring for the environment, the economy and the people.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• SMART Greenpeace
• palm oil
• sustainable palm oil
• Verification Report
• Sinar Mas
• Golden Agri-Resources
• sustainability
• rain forest
• forest
• greenpeace
• PT SMART
• SMART
• rainforest
• sinarmas
• sinar mas
• oil
• palm
• peat
• deforestation
• Indonesia
• greenpeace claims
• facts
• primary forests
• green groups
• orang-utan
• habitats
• destruction of habitats
• degraded land
• environment