For years, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad, the world’s largest oil palm grower, has touted itself as the leading global producer of environmentally-friendly palm oil. But at a time when palm oil is in greater demand than ever amid shocks to the global supply of edible oils, the firm is fighting to redeem its image – along with its ability to export to the United States, where the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency has banned its products for more than a year following allegations of forced and convict labour at its Malaysian plantations.
Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, Professor Justine Nolan, who briefly served on a human rights working group established by Sime Darby in response to the CBP ban, spoke to Al Jazeera about its quest to repair its image.
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