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KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SDP) will strive to do its best to counter the allegations of forced labour in its production process and restore its reputation among its customers worldwide.
“We have (done) and we will do everything in our capacity to make sure that our reputation is restored,” Sime Darby Oils Sdn Bhd managing director Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad said in an interview with the BFM radio station today.
He said that although the import ban by the United States did not have a significant impact on the company’s earnings, it was concerned over SDP’s reputation in the longer term.
He also reiterated that the allegations were absolutely false.
In a statement on Dec 31, 2020, the group said the CBP’s news release on the matter did not provide sufficient information to allow SDP to meaningfully address the allegations that triggered the action.
To recap, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said effective Dec 30, 2020, it would detain palm oil and products containing palm oil produced by SDP and its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and affiliated entities in Malaysia, at all US ports of entry.
According to the CBP, the withhold release order issued against the company’s palm oil was based on information that “reasonably indicates” the presence of all 11 of the International Labour Organisation’s forced labour indicators in SDP’s production process. – Bernama
