Can you talk about you or your company’s efforts relating to renewability, sustainability or other environmentally- friendly activities? 

Our food systems are under increasing pressure to address a growing population, changing dietary habits and their impact on the environment. As a leader in Agriculture, we know we can help. In our 30 years in business, we’ve made a lot of progress in improving access to food and nutrition, farmers’ lives and sustainability practices, especially in lower income and emerging countries in Africa and Asia. As we start a new chapter of growth, we want to do better.  

Olam has set out an ambitious plan to transform food, feed and fibre for a more sustainable future. We’re making clear commitments to contribute positively to the prosperity and well-being of people along our supply chains, the protection and regeneration of our natural resource base, and the fight against climate change and hold ourselves accountable by embedding international ESG standards and best practices in our operations. 

We know it won’t be easy, but with the use and development of new and emerging technologies, our strong partnerships with farmers, rural communities, governments, NGOs and the industry; and our passion to deliver, we believe we will make a difference. 

Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations?  

In-house lawyers have the unique responsibility of promoting and protecting a company’s business. Understanding the goals of the business as well as the potential risks gives in-house lawyers an awareness of how policies – whether manifested in everyday contractual provisions or supplier codes of conduct or otherwise – can impact a business. This allows in-house lawyers to balance competing interests within a company and drive behaviour that can impart lasting change. It is rarely a lack of good ideas that impedes change; usually, change is delayed due to an inability to balance the varied interests of a business. 

It can be difficult to truly measure a company’s track record and accomplishments in terms of their environmentally friendly behaviour. What do you think has, until now, been mostly missed when discussing how green a company is? 

Technology has significantly developed in terms of measuring and assigning hard numbers or data to our environmental initiatives. Platforms such as AtSource and Terrascope help companies gain detailed visibility into their supply chains and enterprise-wide carbon footprints respectively. This allows companies like Olam to identify areas that require focus, while measuring progress against their environmental goals.