July 24, 2024

Public Letter to RSPO re: Astra Agro Lestari’s membership application

TO: Joseph D’Cruz, Chief Executive Officer, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
CC: Oi Soo Chin, Acting Head Membership, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil

Dear Mr. D’Cruz and Ms. Soo Chin:

Two weeks ago it was announced that Astra Agro Lestari (AAL) submitted a formal application
for membership to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). AAL’s announcement
included a statement of full support from the RSPO. We, the undersigned, strongly urge the
RSPO to withhold AAL’s membership until protracted land conflicts between AAL and
communities in Sulawesi, Indonesia are resolved; remedy and redress to communities
impacted by AAL’s operations is provided; a process to ensure communities are able to
provide or withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is conducted; and
AAL’s permitting irregularities, including its permits and concession maps, are
investigated and addressed by the Indonesian government.

Last month, a new report detailed ongoing environmental, human rights, and governance
violations by AAL, including illegal palm oil cultivation inside Indonesia’s forest estate; ongoing
intimidation and criminalization of environmental human rights defenders; and several AAL
subsidiaries operating without required permits. This followed a March 2022 report that
documented land grabbing, criminalization of Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs),
and environmental degradation tied to AAL’s operations in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

AAL’s ongoing violations contravene RSPO Principles and Criteria, including the right to FPIC;
protection of HRDs from violence, intimidation and criminalization; respect for communities’ land
rights; compliance with laws and regulations; and prevention of water pollution.

In response to documented evidence of environmental and human rights violations, ten
consumer brands – Colgate Palmolive, Danone, Friesland Campina, Hershey’s, Kellogg,
L’Oreal, Mondelez, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble – all of which are RSPO members, announced
suspensions of sourcing from AAL. Multiple financiers have also sanctioned the company,
including Norges Bank which excluded financing to AAL and its parent companies Astra
International and Jardine Matheson, and BlackRock which voted against company directors at
both AAL and Astra International citing ongoing land conflicts and violations in Sulawesi.

A growing body of evidence indicates that non-adherence to RSPO Principles and Criteria by
member companies is prevalent. Controversial companies receive certification and maintain
membership despite evidence of sustained violations, while the complaints system is ineffective.
Granting AAL membership to the RSPO would undermine impacted communities’ calls for
remedy and redress and efforts to hold the company accountable for its violations, as well as
further undermine the RSPO as a body.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Acción Ecológica
Amnesty International Sierra Leone
Asegis Community Network
Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE)
Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP)
Asociación ProPurús
Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network (CEMSOJ)
Environmental center for Development Education and Networking (EDEN)
Federación por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos Indígenas (FAPI)
Friends of the Earth England, Wales, Northern Ireland
Friends of the Earth Europe
Friends of the Earth Malta
Friends of the Earth US
Global Canopy
GRAIN
HEKS
Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT)
Indigenous Peoples Rights International
Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)
Milieudefensie
Mutasa Youth Forum
Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER)
Protection International
Rainforest Action Network
ReAct Transnational
Satya Bumi
Star Kampuchea
Synaparcam
Turkana Extractive Consortium
WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia
Women on Mining and Extractives
Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat, Indonesia