KUALA LUMPUR: Nestlé (Malaysia) Bhd has partnered with Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SD Plantation) to ramp up reforestation efforts to plant three million trees in Malaysia by 2023 via Project RELeaf.
In a statement today, Nestle Malaysia said it had inked a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Sd Plantation, the world's largest producer of certified sustainable palm oil.
Under the MOA, over one million trees are slated to be planted across 1,200 hectares of riparian zones and steep slope areas within SD Plantation's oil palm operation areas.
Project RELeaf was launched in 2020 by Nestlé Malaysia, which aimed at restoring riparian and forest ecosystems across the Kinabatangan Wetlands and Merisuli Forest Restoration Areas in Sabah.
The project was also help to restore forest reserves along the Central Forest Spine in Peninsular Malaysia.
The initiative was also part of Nestlé's global efforts to fight climate change and reduce the company's carbon footprint.
Through the MoA, Nestlé Malaysia said the company would produce and supply over one million seedlings and conducting planting activities at the sites.
Planting sites will be located at selected SD Plantation estates in both Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
Nestle Malaysia chief executive officer Juan Aranols said safeguarding the environment was a key priority for the company.
"This is why we have initiatives in place to help preserve and conserve the country's natural biodiversity and these include our reforestation efforts such as Project RELeaf, aiming to plant three million trees by 2023."
He said the company was pleased to partner with SD Plantation which is the main supplier of Nestlé Malaysia's certified sustainable palm oil.
"By working together, we can help to reduce total emissions along our value chain while preserving natural ecosystems. This partnership will also contribute to our global pledge to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050," he added.
SD Plantation group managing director Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said the company was pleased to be working again with a like-minded partner to realise its commitments of protecting and conserving biodiversity as well as contributing to combat climate change.
"Restoring forests and planting trees on a large scale are important nature-based solutions to increase carbon sinks, as part of our response to climate change.
"Over the last 12 years, we have planted over 1.5 million trees through various tree-planting projects, including our involvement in a previous project with Nestlé. We are truly excited to renew our collaboration with Nestlé today with RELeaf," said Mohamad Helmy.
He said SD Plantation had planned to double the number of planted trees through its tree-planting projects over the next five years.
"We are on track to achieving our target of 40 per cent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030. The success of our tree planting projects will be fundamental in how we lay the groundwork towards making and realising a Net Zero commitment," he added.
Project RELeaf builds on the pioneering Kinabatangan Rileaf Project, which concluded in 2020 and saw one million trees planted in Sabah.