Peru has ten RSPO members. Ocho Sur is not a member and only one of the companies in Sol de Palma’s consortium is.
PepsiCo said: “We take all inquiries like this seriously and have initiated an investigation through our established grievance process to assess whether any action on our part is required.” The company stressed that Ocho Sur is not a direct supplier to the company, and said it has engaged its direct suppliers to better understand their ties to Ocho Sur and ensure they take corrective actions if needed.
Ocho Sur said that it could not be held responsible for the actions of the companies whose assets it had taken over. It referred TBIJ to a document submitted to the UN in December 2023 that repeatedly states that it has no financial or legal links to one of those businesses. In the document it also strenuously denied sowing division in local communities and said that since its founding, the company had made special efforts “to forge a friendly, fruitful and mutually respectful relationship” with Indigenous and other groups. It said that it fully complies with all obligations with respect to Indigenous peoples’ rights and the environment and does not allow deforestation in its supply chain.
On the subject of environmental permits, Ocho Sur added: “The certification has been requested for a long time and [Midagri, the agriculture ministry] has failed to make a statement on the matter, granting it, as it should, or providing reasonable arguments to justify its refusal.”
Oleomex, owner of the Mexican refinery that supplies PepsiCo’s factory, said: “The oil we supply to our customer meets all sustainability standards as it is RSPO-certified oil.” However, it added that supply contracts with Ocho Sur were negotiated through a third party and that it has agreed to suspend them until the complaints raised in the investigation are resolved.
Sol de Palma did not comment.
Peruvian judges are yet to rule on whether Ocho Sur can be held responsible for past incursions into the Santa Clara de Uchunya community.
While the community awaits that ruling, Mori Gonzáles has vowed to continue protecting the territory: “We’re going to fight for as long as we can.”
This article was amended on April 30 to more accurately reflect the amount of deforestation linked to Ocho Sur. The original figure of 17,000 ha was calculated including a small portion (1,500 ha) that took place outside the boundaries of company property and on land unconnected to Ocho Sur. The map depicting this land has also been taken down.
This investigation was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network.
Banner image: Illustration by Claudia Calderón / OjoPúblico
See a related investigation:
False claims of U.N. backing see Indigenous groups cede forest rights for sketchy finance
agribusiness, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Business, Deforestation, Drivers Of Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Law, Food Industry, Forest Destruction, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Reserves, Indigenous Rights, Industrial Agriculture, Industry, Land Conflict, Land Grabbing, Land Rights, Mongabay investigation, Oil Palm, Palm Oil, Plantations, Rainforest Deforestation, Supply Chain
Latin America, Peru, South America
Source link : https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/snack-giant-pepsico-sourced-palm-oil-from-razed-indigenous-land-investigation/
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Publish date : 2024-04-18 03:00:00
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