Wilmar International and its financiers

This fact sheet by Friends of the Earth International examines the financial backers of Wilmar International and contrasts the company's corporate social responsibility claims with reports of environmental destruction and human rights violations in Indonesia, Nigeria, and Uganda.

• Wilmar International is a major global player in the palm oil industry, operating as one of the world's largest plantation owners and the largest refiner in Malaysia and Indonesia. By December 2012, the company owned 255,648 hectares of oil palm, representing a 14% increase in land area since the end of 2008. In 2012, it reported revenue of €34.5 billion and a net profit of €1 billion.
• Despite its internal CSR strategy and claims of responsible management, Newsweek ranked Wilmar as the world's worst company for environmental performance in both 2011 and 2012, placing it last among the 500 largest publicly traded companies globally.
• Wilmar is heavily financed by banks and shareholders, with banks accounting for 52.4% of its assets as of late 2012. Major European and U.S. financial institutions provide significant support; for example, HSBC provided loans totaling 921 million euro since 2009, and BNP Paribas provided loans totaling 241 million euro in the same period.
• In Indonesia, Wilmar has faced multiple complaints via the IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman and the RSPO. Allegations include clearing land without community approvals or Environmental Impact Assessments, and a 2011 complaint noted that Wilmar used government forces to dismantle a community settlement on disputed land. Additionally, a subsidiary, PT Mekar Bumi Andalas, is accused of violating RSPO criteria by building a processing unit in Balikpapan Bay, impacting proboscis monkeys and other marine life.
• In Nigeria, the Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC) alleges that Wilmar has engaged in illegal land acquisitions in Cross River State, violating the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978 and the EIA Act CAP E12. Specifically, the RRDC claims that 44% of the Oban Plantation is inside the Cross River National Park and 40% of the Ibad Plantation is within the Ekinta Forest Reserve.
• In Uganda, Wilmar's expansion is reported to have violated national land laws, including the Land Acquisition Act and Section 26(2)(a) of the Ugandan Constitution. Furthermore, the project is alleged to violate the National Environmental Act 1988 by failing to maintain a 200-metre buffer zone between plantations and Lake Victoria.
• The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) divested from Wilmar and 22 other palm oil companies in 2012 due to beliefs that these companies were producing palm oil unsustainably.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2013). Wilmar International and its financiers. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Wilmar-International-and-its-Financiers.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Wilmar International and its financiers. 2013. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Wilmar-International-and-its-Financiers.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Wilmar International and its financiers |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Wilmar-International-and-its-Financiers.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2013wilmar, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Wilmar International and its financiers}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Wilmar-International-and-its-Financiers.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }