Sustainability Framework

Ahead of his keynote speech at the inaugural Food for the Future Summit next week, Sunny Verghese, Olam Co-founder and Group CEO writes for Food Industry Asia on how agri-businesses should face the challenge of increasing output for a growing population against environmental risks and constraints: It’s Time to Re-imagine Food and Agriculture in Asia Mr Verghese says: “It is time for agri-businesses to re-imagine the status quo, for business leaders to reframe private sector orthodoxy. And the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a strong starting point.” At Olam, loan agreements signed last month worth US$163 million, will help to boost inclusivity and sustainability across value chains, directly benefitting up to 20,000 smallholder farmers in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. More ways in which companies can re-imagine how to conduct businesses so that everyone – people, planet and shareholders – benefits, will be explored at Food Indus

“I’m convinced we can all do better by doing good – and none of us have an option to do nothing”, Olam’s COO A. Shekhar, told an audience at Singapore Exchange’s “Sustainability – Connecting Investors and Companies” sustainability conference today. Held on 27th February 2018 at SGX Centre 1, the conference gathered key executives of SGX-listed companies leading the charge in sustainable business practices to discuss their sustainability practices. During the panel, Mr Shekhar joined other panelists from Golden Agri-Resources and Qian Hu Corporation to share the “whys and whats” of the sustainable business practices they have adopted and how performance is measured and reported. The panel was moderated by K Sadashiv, Managing Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr Shekhar discussed Olam’s sustainability journey, sustainability performance and outlook referencing Olam’s case studies and results in implementing sustainability in the company’s