InfoSAWIT, KUALA LUMPUR – For SD Guthrie, success in the palm oil industry is not just about financial profits, but about creating overall welfare. This company believes that the development of sustainable palm oil plantations can only be realized if economic value goes hand in hand with social welfare and environmental preservation. In Guthrie's view, sustainable palm oil is a complete concept—balancing productivity with social and environmental responsibility. Meaning, business success is not only measured by company profits, but also by how much benefits can be felt by the surrounding community and the nature where the plantations grow. This commitment aligns with the view of Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha, Group Managing Director at SD Guthrie and Chairman of MPOB, who emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration to realize a sustainable palm oil industry. He assessed that the success of sustainable palm oil is not the result of one party's work alone, but the fruit of collaboration between government, companies, small farmers, and communities. “The success of sustainable palm oil will provide welfare for many parties,” said Datuk Mohamad Helmy, when speaking at RT2025 attended by InfoSAWIT, Monday (3/11/2025) in Kuala Lumpur.
He added that Malaysia has shown real efforts in building a responsible palm oil industry ecosystem, from garden management to environmentally friendly derivative processing. Through various initiatives carried out, business actors under the Guthrie umbrella strive to ensure best practices are applied throughout the supply chain.
This includes the application of sustainability certification, training for small farmers, and conservation programs to maintain biodiversity around operational areas. This collaborative approach is believed to be an important foundation in maintaining palm oil's competitiveness in the global market. Because, world consumers now pay great attention to sustainability and social responsibility aspects in every product they consume.
For Guthrie, sustainability is not a momentary trend, but the future direction of the industry. “We believe that community welfare can only be realized if all parties are actively involved. Collaboration is the key,” Helmy emphasized. With this spirit, SD Guthrie together with various stakeholders continues to encourage the Malaysian palm oil sector to remain an example of global best practices—where profits, environment, and community welfare go hand in hand towards a sustainable future. (T1)
