Photo: ISPO certificate handover with Mutu International representative
JAKARTA – On January 19, Tunas Sawa Erma (TSE) Group subsidiary PT Gelora Mandiri Membangun (PT GMM) earned an ISPO certificate, a demonstration of its commitment to preserving the environment and building a sustainable palm oil industry. TSE Group’s director Luwy Leunufna received the document at Mutu International’s office.
This certificate shows PT GMM’s strong dedication and commitment to follow its own policies and rules, and the company’s respect for Agriculture Ministerial Regulation 38/2020, which governs the certification process for sustainable oil palm plantations in Indonesia.
By passing the certification program, the firm has also proven its efforts to follow ISPO principles and criteria, which are compliance with plantation business legality, implementation of good plantation practices, management of the environment, natural resources, and biodiversity, responsibilities to employment, social responsibility and community economic empowerment, implementation of transparency, and continuous business improvement.
“[Through this achievement], we are showing our commitment and dedication towards building sustainability as a priority, because in reality sustainability and environment go together. [So] for us, [the] ISPO [certificate] is something special [to have]. Good teamwork with all stakeholders is a must [to be ISPO-certified and make sustainability happen],” said Leunufna.
To secure this certificate, PT GMM teamed up with Mutu International, a government-approved independent certification board tasked with performing reviews, audits, and inspections.
According to its official site, Mutu International or PT Agung Mutu Lestari was established in 1990 and has since gained the trust of over 3,000 multinational companies. It also partners with the government in bringing TIC services, owns an ISO 17025-accredited independent laboratory, and is experienced in lab testing for the palm oil industry.
Getting ISPO-certified is a non-negotiable requirement for businesses pledging to keep the oil palm sector — part of the country’s economic backbone — running. ISPO standards are mandatory for all Indonesian-based companies, both upstream and downstream.
Gelora Mandiri Membangun, which operates from South Halmahera, North Maluku, began opening land in 2013 and planting oil palms in 2014. These moves were made to support state oil palm plantation development program for the regency, improve community prosperity and regional income, as well as expand jobs and business opportunities for locals. (PR)
