AAK's response on sourcing from REPSA
AAK has been closely monitoring this topic and engaging with the company since the original incident in 2015. We also share the frustrations of many about the speed of the Guatemalan judicial system in hearing this case in court. Although we lifted the suspension on REPSA in December 2020, we have not yet resumed direct commercial trading with them. We are open to this if they continue to show progress on addressing environmental and social issues in their supply base. We have taken advice on our decision to reengage from our partners, Proforest...
In addition to our own due diligence on the group as a whole, the reasons we decided to lift the suspension on the REPSA operation are:
- REPSA confirmed that they are not linked to the Lima Choc case [...]
- The development and implementation of the Grupo HAME sustainability policy [...]
- RSPO membership, certification of REPSA scheduled for Q2 2021 [...]
... We have communicated to Grupo HAME that we expect to see positive outcomes as a result of these processes... If RAN or partner organizations has evidence of recent abuses or non-compliances by REPSA we encourage you to share it with us and the broader industry to help inform our engagement with them. We will continue to monitor REPSA and Grupo HAME through direct engagement and with the support of our partners. As with all of our suppliers, we only conduct business with those that adhere to our Code of Conduct and Sustainable Palm Oil Policy...