The pilot is part of WWF’s initiative to restore Wildlife Connectivity Across Sabah KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) and SD Guthrie Berhad are piloting a five-year regenerative agriculture programme for palm oil in Sabah, Malaysia, the first such initiative of its kind for the industry. This transformational 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.
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. Success will be measured against clear baselines, with progress demonstrated through biodiversity connectivity, ecosystem services, soil health, and social outcomes.
“Through this ground-breaking partnership, WWF-Malaysia and SD Guthrie are taking a decisive step to pilot regenerative palm oil practices and deliver landscape-scale biodiversity and climate outcomes in a priority area of Sabah,” said Sophia Lim, WWF-Malaysia's Chief Executive Officer. “These approaches go 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. This partnership 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.” 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, which resonates with WWF’s landscape-level initiative for biodiversity.
“We are excited to commence this pilot for regenerative palm oil with WWF and look forward to new learnings that will improve the way we interact with the environment,” said Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, Guthrie’s Group Managing Director.
“This partnership reflects Guthrie’s commitment to achieve our “Beyond Zero” targets in a practical and credible way, while boosting productive and responsible palm oil operations., With this initiative, we 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. Future communications related to the partnership will focus on verified conservation baselines and outcomes.
Designed as a pilot, the partnership has the potential to inform wider industry adoption and future engagements with all stakeholders within the sector, seeking credible pathways to support regenerative practices.
By anchoring regenerative palm oil within a landscape-scale conservation approach, WWF-Malaysia and Guthrie aim to demonstrate how collaborative action can contribute to Malaysia’s biodiversity and climate goals while influencing broader transformation across the global palm oil sector.
About WWF-Malaysia World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia), established in 1972, is part of the global World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) network — one of the world’s leading independent conservation organisations. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major themes: forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater.
We aim to leave a lasting and sustainable impact in Malaysia by conserving, restoring and protecting the country’s diverse species and ecosystems — including forests, marine and coastal areas, and freshwater environments.
As an intermediary and trusted partner, WWF-Malaysia provides science-based frameworks that address the capacity and limitations of natural resources, while promoting best practices in sustainability. These frameworks are developed through continuous engagement and thought leadership initiatives with government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and corporate partners.
Our mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Find our latest news here:
https://www.wwf.org.my/media_and_information/media_centre_and_updates/ Note to the media: 1) All quotes are to be attributed to the designated persons quoted in this media release. 2) Should you need more information, please see the details below but please note that this person is for contact purposes only and is not the organisation's authorised spokesperson, so we would appreciate it if this name is not printed in the article. About SD Guthrie BerhadSD Guthrie Berhad is a responsible global leader in Certified Sustainable Palm Oil production, employing over 83,000 people who serve the needs of food consumers and brands in 86 countries. All our palm oil is fully traceable and deforestation-free.
Our 200-year history has led us to where we are today – a leader in innovation, developing nextgeneration robotics and technology-driven solutions for the palm oil and agri-business sector. We are addressing demand for renewable energy through the creation of solar projects and highperformance industrial parks, drawing on our sustainability leadership to expand our horizons and create a future-ready company.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. As the world’s first palm oil company with netzero greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), we push boundaries with our enhanced sustainability framework, “Beyond Zero”, driving meaningful change in our sector.
SD Guthrie operates 234 plantation estates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, supported by 11 refineries with a combined annual capacity of four million metric tonnes. We produce 12% of all certified sustainable palm oil in the world. We produce and sell a diverse range of palm oil derivatives including oleochemicals, biodiesel and nutraceuticals, and we are actively engaged in the development and commercialisation of super high-yielding oil palm seeds that are more resistant to the challenges of climate change.
Listed on Bursa Malaysia (KLSE: SDG) with a market capitalisation of RM36.51 billion (USD8.88 billion) as of 5 December 2025, SD Guthrie is a strategic company of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Malaysia’s largest unit trust company and our major shareholder. We are supported by a large institutional base of investors including Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (Employees Provident Fund) and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (Retirement Fund (Incorporated)).
For more information, visit
www.sdguthrie.com.
SOURCE: SD Guthrie BerhadFOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:Name: Rozzana Basri
Director, Marketing and Communications, WWF-Malaysia
Email: rbasri@wwf.org.my
Name: Justin Ang
Senior Manager, Communications, WWF-Malaysia
Email: justinang@wwf.org.my
Name: Marina Aman Sham
Communications Manager, Sabah Landscapes Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Email: masham@wwf.org.my
Name: Michael Murty
Strategic Communications
Tel: +6016-326 8373
E-mail: Michael.murty@sdguthrie.com
Name: Azneal Azam
Strategic Communications
Tel: +6016-337 6160
E-mail: azneal.azam@sdguthrie.co
--BERNAMA