Page 7 - APICAL_SR2020

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Apical remained
steadfast in
progressing towards
our sustainability
commitments.

Navigating the Pandemic
Impacting the global economy and lives
across the globe, COVID-19 brought
social issues to the fore. At the onset of
the pandemic, we took decisive actions
to ensure the health and safety of our
employees and implemented measures we worked hard to improve the traceability of our products.
aligned with recommendations from the In 2020, three of our refineries achieved a 99.3% traceability
respective local governments where to plantation for existing suppliers. This was not an easy
we operate. To support our local accomplishment given the complexities of the palm oil
communities, we contributed personal supply chain. Since 2015, we continued to maintain a 100%
protective equipment and food staples traceability to supplying mills. Through traceability, we are
to healthcare workers and volunteers. able to identify and work with at-risk suppliers to improve
We also raised awareness among their sustainability practices and ensure alignment with our
our employees and the community NDPE commitments.
to stay safe during the pandemic and
practise good hygiene. Although it was Other Progress in 2020
a challenging year, Apical remained
steadfast in progressing towards our A large part of our sustainability efforts involves engaging
sustainability commitments. with our suppliers through our Anchor Programmes to
support the adoption of sustainable practices. With COVID-19
Our Traceability Achievement resulting in movement restrictions, we had to adapt and
use online engagements instead. We introduced the
While navigating the pandemic continues Collaborative Action through Remote Engagement (CARE)
to take precedence, 2020 was also a initiative, where selected suppliers were required to perform
year to reflect on our No Deforestation, a Supplier Self-Assessment (SFA) along with remote
No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) verification to determine their compliance risks. In the
progress. same year, we launched the Apical Sustainability
IMPLEmentation Framework (A-SIMPLE Framework) to
As a mid-stream processer, exporter and ensure effective implementation of our Sustainability Policy
trader of palm oil, we have an important as well as to align sustainability practices across our
role to play in influencing our suppliers to operations and supply chain. Due to COVID-19, some of our
adopt sustainable practices. To do that, other programmes such as SUSTAIN, were put on hold.

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