Beyond Certification

SIPEF shows us how sustainable agriculture can meet rising food demand while strengthening nature, local economies, and livelihoods.

Putting sustainable tropical agriculture at the heart of growth

For decades, SIPEF has cultivated oil palm and bananas in some of the world’s most biodiverse tropical regions. Today, the Belgian agribusiness group, with operations in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, is advancing large-scale tropical agriculture for good. Its Balanced Growth Strategy combines certification, innovation, nature-based solutions, and care for people and communities, ensuring productivity advances alongside social and environmental stewardship. 

The results speak volumes. In 2024, 87% of SIPEF’s palm oil operations were Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified; it plans to reach 100% by 2030. All its products are traceable to their source, offering customers transparency and confidence. In addition to its plantations, which it governs with a strict No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) commitment, SIPEF manages 15,092 hectares of conservation land, on which it implements biodiversity initiatives to protect and restore natural habitats. In Indonesia, dedicated camera traps have recorded rare wildlife, including clouded leopards, Malayan sun bears, and the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.

Why sustainable agriculture matters

Global demand for food is increasing and meeting this demand requires higher agricultural productivity at a time when land and natural resources are under escalating pressure. Palm oil, used in everything from cooking oil and baked goods to soaps and biodiesel, offers a vital solution. Oil palm produces between six and eight times as much oil per hectare as other oilseed crops, making it indispensable for food security. 

Bananas, SIPEF’s other key crop, are equally essential, providing affordable nutrition to consumers across local African markets and Europe.

The Group’s approach to sustainable agriculture balances rising demand for its products with the need to protect ecosystems, biodiversity, and community livelihoods. SIPEF delivers stable incomes and community infrastructure on its plantations, including 47 medical centres and 50 schools. It also invests in operational innovations, such as a bio compressed natural gas (bio-CNG) plant at its Perlabian palm oil mill to convert production waste into renewable gas. By embedding sustainability into how it operates, SIPEF also meets evolving market and regulatory expectations — including the European Union (EU) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Zero deforestation. 100% traceable to source.

Since 2015, SIPEF has maintained zero deforestation across its business: its banana operations comply with Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, and GlobalG.A.P. standards and, for oil palm, the Group safeguards High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests, and peatlands in line with RSPO requirements. SIPEF also invests in Verdant Bioscience Pte Ltd (VBS), which is developing higher-yielding oil palm varieties to improve land efficiency, optimise existing plantations, and support SIPEF’s commitment to zero deforestation.

In 2024, SIPEF upgraded its interactive oil palm mapping application, GeoSIPEF, adding a customer portal that enables end-to-end traceability of purchased volumes. Leveraging advanced satellite technology, GeoSIPEF strengthens supply chain transparency and supports alignment with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

For SIPEF, sustainable agriculture is more than an idea, it’s the foundation of its success.

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