Halcyon ranks top amongst rubber producers in SPOTT assessment
SINGAPORE, 22 March 2021 – Halcyon Agri Corporation Limited (“Halcyon Agri”, the “Company” and together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), the world’s leading fully integrated rubber supply franchise, has been rated as the most transparent rubber-producing company globally in the second SPOTT assessment, up from second place in the previous year.
SPOTT (Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit) is an assessment framework created by international conservation charity, ZSL (Zoological Society of London). It assesses 15 significant natural rubber producers and processors on the public disclosure of their policies, operations and commitments to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) best practice. The assessment covers a period of 16 months, from November 2019 to March 2021.
Halcyon Agri achieved a total score of 77.7% in the current assessment, an 8.2% improvement from 69.9% in 2019 inaugural assessment, and notably higher than the industry average score of 41.2% among major natural rubber companies assessed by SPOTT.
SPOTT scores natural rubber producers and processors using a total of 123 indicators across 10 categories:
- Sustainability policy and leadership
- Landbank, maps and traceability
- Certification standards/Sustainability initiatives
- Deforestation and biodiversity
- HCV, HCS and impact assessment
- Soils, fire and GHG emissions
- Water, chemical and pest management
- Community, land and labour rights
- Smallholders and suppliers
- Governance and grievances
Being ranked as the most transparent rubber producing company showcases Halcyon Agri’s strong commitment in embracing best-in-class sustainability practices throughout its supply chain.
Li Xuetao, CEO of Halcyon Agri, commented: “We are honoured to be recognised as the most transparent natural rubber producer in this important study. We continue to embrace sustainability as one of our key business tenets, and such recognitions validate the efforts and investments that our global team have continuously made in setting the industry example as a sustainable business organisation. As a sustainable natural rubber franchise, we believe that our actions and achievements will inspire meaningful change in the industry.”
This latest achievement adds to the list of accolades received by the Group over the past six months:
- EcoVadis Gold, which recognises Halcyon Agri’s responsible conduct in the environment, labour practices, ethics and sustainable procurement
- Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO), which certifies responsible management of palm oil plantations
Lee Chestnutt, CEO of Corrie MacColl Plantations, commented: “Sustainability has always been the core of our business, especially more so in managing our group-wide plantations, where we need to strike a balance between protecting the ecosystem, safeguarding the wellbeing of our people and their families, as well as being profitable. Our sustainability achievements will not be possible without the unwavering support from our partnering NGOs as well as financiers, and we look forward to continued engagement and collaboration in driving positive change in the industry.”
Halcyon Agri’s commitment towards the highest standards of sustainability is exemplified in its recent partnership with Deutsche Bank for a US$25 million sustainability-linked financing (“DB Green Loan”). In doing so, the financing margins of DB Green Loan are tied to our sustainability performance, rated externally according to established sustainability framework such as EcoVadis and SPOTT.
More information on the SPOTT study can be found here: link
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About Halcyon Agri
Halcyon Agri (SGX: 5VJ) is a leading supply chain franchise of natural rubber with a production capacity of 1.6 million metric tonnes per annum. The Group owns 38 processing factories in most major rubber producing origins and produces sustainable natural rubber under the audited HEVEAPRO brand. The Group leverages its extensive network of warehouses, terminals, laboratories and sales offices across the world to distribute a range of natural rubber grades, latex and specialised rubber for the tyre and non-tyre industries. Halcyon Agri is headquartered in Singapore and has about 15,000 employees in over 50 locations. Please visit us at www.halcyonagri.com
About SPOTT
Developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), SPOTT is an online platform supporting sustainable commodity production and trade. By tracking transparency, SPOTT incentivises the implementation of corporate best practice. SPOTT assesses commodity producers, processors and traders on their public disclosure regarding their organisation, policies and practices related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. SPOTT scores companies annually against sector-specific indicators to benchmark their progress over time. Investors, buyers and other key influencers can use SPOTT assessments to inform stakeholder engagement, manage risk, and increase industry transparency. For more information, visit www.spott.org.
About ZSL
ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is an international conservation charity working to create a world where wildlife thrives. From investigating the health threats facing animals to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, ZSL is committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Our work is realised through our ground-breaking science, our field conservation around the world and engaging millions of people through our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.For more information, visit www.zsl.org.
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