WWF-Malaysia, SD Guthrie launch five-year regenerative palm oil pilot in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 11): The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) has partnered SD Guthrie Bhd (Guthrie) to pilot a five-year regenerative agriculture programme for palm oil in Sabah.

Guthrie in a statement on Tuesday said the initiative is the first of its kind for the industry, adding that the partnership is part of WWF-Malaysia’s larger initiative to deliver landscape-scale level biodiversity and climate-positive outcomes in the region.

The partnership will focus on a landscape in Tawau, Sabah, covering approximately 13,000 hectares across five Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified Guthrie estates.

This initiative will serve as a pilot under WWF’s Reconnect Borneo Initiative, which is a regional effort to restore ecological connectivity across Borneo through a network of wildlife corridors.

As part of the collaboration, WWF-Malaysia and Guthrie will work together to establish a wildlife corridor, strengthen biodiversity conservation, and implement WWF’s global regenerative palm oil framework, in real operating conditions.

“This initiative is designed to move beyond certification towards measurable improvements for biodiversity, climate resilience, and communities while optimising long-term productivity,” it said.

The regenerative palm oil framework refers to palm oil production that remains commercially viable, supports workers and local communities, and actively improves biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate resilience.

It builds on existing sustainability standards including RSPO and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certifications.

Guthrie said success will be measured against clear baselines, with progress demonstrated through biodiversity connectivity, ecosystem services, soil health, and social outcomes.

WWF-Malaysia CEO Sophia Lim said the partnership goes beyond RSPO and MSPO certification to deliver measurable improvements for biodiversity, climate resilience and communities while recognising the economic importance of palm oil to Malaysia and the global market.

“It reflects a shared understanding that transformation cannot happen in silos. Conservation organisations, industry leaders, and value-chain stakeholders must work together to co-create practical, science-based, and scalable solutions.

“As a conservation organisation, WWF-Malaysia believes in engaging constructively with the palm oil sector, alongside other priority industries to drive meaningful environmental outcomes,” she said.

For Guthrie, the collaboration reinforces its “Beyond Zero” sustainability framework, which lists piloting a Regenerative Agriculture Framework for the palm oil sector by 2028 as a key goal.

Guthrie had also committed to restoring and conserving 100,000 hectares of land across and beyond its value chain by 2030 to enhance biodiversity and environmental resilience.

Its group managing director Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad said the group will go “above and beyond certification requirements, aiming not only to minimise and mitigate our negative impacts, but also ensure that we actively cultivate positive outcomes in the landscapes where we operate.”

Activities under the collaboration include RSPO- and MSPO-certified plantations and conservation areas and will be subject to independent audits, risk reviews, and WWF governance controls.

It said that future communications related to the partnership will focus on verified conservation baselines and outcomes.