Sustainability is the most pressing concern of the 21st century.
Globalization, the population explosion, and climate change are dramatically impacting the natural environment, economies, and societies around the world. Issues of sustainability are critical to our future; nonetheless, human beings are placing increasing pressure on the environment, through escalating consumption, resource use, and degradation of natural capital, such as land, water, air, and biodiversity.
From rising inequality and a fast-growing population to environmental difficulties and global climate change, our planet faces major and complicated challenges. Source: Canva
According to biologists, we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction of species, and climate scientists believe we have less than a decade to reduce the risk of extreme heat, drought, flooding, and poverty. The entire population of planet Earth has been purged by unprecedented catastrophes so extreme that they make our typical Ice Age look like the geological equivalent of a stroll in the park.
From rising inequality and a fast-growing population to environmental difficulties and global climate change, our planet faces major and complicated challenges. As a result of these issues, more organizations, like the United Nations, are attempting to promote sustainable development or reduce the adverse impacts on the environment. For example, the United Nations has come up with 17 Sustainable Development Goals which envisions a world free from poverty, hunger, and disease by the year 2030.
Sustainable solutions require knowledge of the complex interactions and trade-offs between environmental, economic, social, and cultural sustainability. Businesses, governments, and communities are taking on the practical challenges that come with creating a sustainable future. Innovation, thinking differently, and finding new ways to reconcile the needs of people and businesses with that of our planet, is a big part of overcoming these challenges.
Governments, policymakers, and NGOs have all been working to develop innovative frameworks that will result in pro-sustainability improvements. Source: Canva
Sustainable development is now a mainstream agenda. Companies are adopting pro-activism in this realm now more than ever. From the environmental and social impacts of product design, logistics, manufacturing, and waste management, to communicating with the shareholders, the workforce, and the customers, businesses and organizations are endeavoring to ensure that sustainability is at the core of all their operations.
Against the backdrop of this disheartening scenario was a watershed or turning point announcement made in late 2013 by Wilmar, a giant Singaporean trader which handles more than 40% of all globally-traded palm oil. Its triple promises include no deforestation, no destruction of peatlands, and no exploitation of locals.
Governments, policymakers, and NGOs have all been working to develop innovative frameworks that will result in pro-sustainability improvements. In 2004, palm oil producers and users established the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and its members include some of the industry’s most vocal critics.
The RSPO has set new standards for production. For example, it requires its members to stop destroying the virgin forest, and to only grow or use oil from land to which growers have legal rights. It has also introduced a certification scheme for oil in compliance with standards and regulations.
Founded in 2019, the team in Malaysia’s Agrotech Integrated Solutions comprises professionals who have a combined 22-year experience and expertise in designing, building, managing, and operating compost sites for palm oil mills in Malaysia and Indonesia. The company has innovated and utilizes technology that can biologically process palm oil by-products/waste and convert it into organic fertilizer.
With the recent announcement of capping the oil palm plantation hectarage, plantations and mills need to explore profitable practices to allow for higher FFB yield per hectare without requiring a further expansion to their landbank. Accordingly, Agrotech’s primary focus is to explore and drive sustainable and profitable practices in the palm oil industry to allow for higher yield without compromising the land area.
