The Estée Lauder Companies, BASF and Solidaridad, a CSO that makes international supply chains more sustainable, have joined forces to provide Covid-19 hygiene kits to sustainable palm farmers in Indonesia.
More than 1,000 smallholder farmers and their families (approximately 4,000 individuals) in the Way Kanan District in Lampung, Indonesia will benefit.
The Covid-19 hygiene kits include face masks, soap, hand sanitiser and an information leaflet.
Additionally, informative banners detailing preventative measures have been placed in each of Way Kanan’s seven sub-districts.
Farmers’ association KTNA, Business Watch Indonesia and farmers' group leaders have helped distribute the kits via drop-off points and by going door-to-door.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down for a lot of people around the globe,” said Daniele Piergentili, Vice President, Home and Personal Care at BASF in North America.
“Aside from donating hand sanitising gel globally, we supported the community of Indonesian smallholder farmers to help ensure their health and safety.
“We are grateful to our partners The Estée Lauder Companies and Solidaridad Network for this collaboration.”
Greg Polcer, Executive Vice President, Global Supply Chain at The Estée Lauder Companies, added: “As a global company driven by deeply rooted values, we are committed to supporting our long-standing partners and their communities to stay safe and healthy.
“The Estée Lauder Companies is proud to partner with BASF to support Solidaridad Network’s vital Covid-19 relief efforts, which help to protect Indonesian smallholder farmers and their families from the impact of the pandemic.”
The three companies have been working together to support sustainable palm smallholders since 2018, when they launched collaborative sustainability project Project Lampung, an ongoing initiative to promote sustainable palm oil and palm derivatives production.
The project’s target is to have at least one-third of the 1,000 supported smallholder farmers become certified according to the Smallholder Standard of RSPO after three years.
