The definition of traceable to plantation, or fresh fruit bunch (FFB) traceability, is also the subject of considerable debate. As noted previously, Wilmar has focussed its attention on traceability to mill, because the mill is a good indicator of the approximate location of its suppliers. Wilmar has prepared maps of all its own mills in Malaysia and Indonesia, showing all estate boundaries and the location of each smallholder and dealer, and is pursuing options to help its third-party suppliers to do likewise.
Wilmar’s current approach to traceability back to plantation is based on having considerable detail on all smallgrowers and estates, as shown in the table below. If any information is missing, that source is considered not traceable. This may result in more conservative results than the other definitions which may have lower data-qualifying requirements.
Wilmar considers each source individually and hence reports the actual percentage (%) of the FFB that is traceable.
| Estates | Smallgrowers | Smallholders | Dealers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent company name | Y | Y | ||
| Estate/grower/dealer name | Y | Y | Y | |
| GPS | Y | Y | ||
| Number of growers | Y | |||
| Certification status | Y | |||
| % (volume) from this source | Y | Y | Y | Y |
While obtaining GPS coordinates and/or maps of each FFB supplier is an objective, it is not the immediate priority. The priority for Wilmar is to engage with mill owners who can reach their own FFB suppliers to ensure the process of transformation can begin across the entire supply shed.
Since 2015, Wilmar-owned palm oil mills are 100% traceable to plantation. And we are targeting to reach 90% traceability to oil palm plantations across our global operations by 2023, and 100% by end 2025. As of end December 2024 (basis FY2024 volumes), approximately 91.0% of our global supply chain is traceable to plantation level.
