SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 25 November 2021 - Apical Group, one of the largest palm oil processors and exporters in Indonesia and a member of the Singapore-headquartered RGE group of resources-based companies, has been rated the second most transparent palm oil company globally in the SPOTT (Sustainable Palm Oil Transparency Toolkit) Assessment 2021. Apical improved from a score of 82.5% in 2020 to 89.4% this year, moving up the ranks from eighth to second place.

"Apical remains dedicated to ensuring sustainable practices are adopted across the entire value chain of our palm oil production, from cultivation to consumption. As part of our commitment to transparency, we have been participating in the SPOTT Assessment, a framework developed by ZSL's (Zoological Society of London) since 2019. Our recent score reflects the proactive initiatives and emphasis we have been placing on the three pillars of environmental, social and governance (ESG)," said Bremen Yong, Director of Sustainability for Apical Group.

The assessment which spans 12 months, evaluates 100 palm oil producers, processors and traders on their public disclosure regarding their organisation, policies and practices related to ESG matters. Companies assessed on SPOTT are ranked according to their overall SPOTT score. The scores are also broken down further into three disclosure types; organisation, policy and practice. A total of 182 indicators, spread over 10 categories, were used in the assessment of the SPOTT scores for palm oil producers, processors and traders.

The 10 categories are as follows:

"Apical recognises the importance of SPOTT as a platform for promoting industry transparency and accountability to drive the adoption of social and environmental best practices, especially in sectors with high biodiversity impacts," added Breme n Yong.

This is the third consecutive year that Apical Group has been rising up the ranks among palm oil companies globally, based on transparency, commitments and overall execution of its ESG initiatives.