olam-welcomes-agreement-sustainable-development-goals

Olam welcomes the agreement of the Sustainable Development Goals

News 24^th Sep, 2015

Friday 25th September 2015 is the first milestone in a global ambition to achieve three extraordinary things in the next 15 years in all countries, for all people:

• End extreme poverty.
• Fight inequality & injustice.
• Fix climate change.

After a four-year collaboration between public, private and not-for-profit representatives, the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been agreed upon by 193 countries. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to which Olam is aligned, will be superseded on 1st January 2016 by the 17 SDGs with 169 targets.

The 17 Goals include many targets that are relevant to Olam’s day-to-day activities, however we are specifically focusing our efforts on Goal 2 and Goal 17. These goals encapsulate Olam’s overall approach to Growing Responsibly and our commitment to driving positive change through our supply chains, partnerships and knowledge sharing:

Goal 2 “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”
Food Security is one of Olam’s identified material areas.

Goal 17 “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”
Partnerships are the bedrock of Olam’s sustainability achievements.

On the launch of the SDGs, Chris Brett, Global Head of Sustainability at Olam, commented:
“We know that the private sector has a deep responsibility and a fundamental role to play in achieving global sustainable development. That is perhaps the greatest difference between the environment in which the SDGs are launched today and when the MDGs were launched 15 years ago.

“Looking at our supply chains, Olam is already making a positive impact in the areas of sustainable agriculture, health, education and water security, in particular through our work with smallholder farming communities. Through quantifiable and time-bound targets, the SDGs provide an important framework to focus our efforts and identify areas for collaboration with our peers and customers, NGOs and the public sector to ensure sustainable development for all, with no-one left behind.”

Finally – we are big supporters of the Project Everyone initiative. The best chance of achieving these three extraordinary things is if everyone knows about the goals. The ambition is to share the SDGs with 7 billion people in 7 days.