Leading Ecuadorian palm oil group Grupo Danec has signed a public commitment to “Zero Deforestation and Zero Child Labour”, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reported.
Leading Ecuadorian palm oil group Grupo Danec has signed a public commitment to ‘Zero Deforestation and Zero Child Labour’, addressing two of the country’s most critical sustainability challenges, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) reported.
Ecuador had lost over 2M ha of tropical forest - or 7.8% of its total surface area - in recent years, the 15 Februrary report.
In addition, there were over 270,000 child labourers between the ages of five and 14, according to Ecuador’s Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), representing 7.1% of Ecuador’s child population.
The largest Ecuadorian business group of oil palm plantations, oil extractors, crude palm oil, palm kernel, refinery and processing plant to have achieved RSPO certification, Grupo Danec had been recognised by the RSPO for its best practices on the sustainable cultivation of palm oil.
“RSPO welcomes Grupo Danec’s commitment to protecting Ecuador’s forests and biodiversity, and empowering its youth,” RSPO technical director Francisco Naranjo said.
As of last year, 35% of Latin America’s total crude palm oil output had achieved RSPO certification, the report said.
