Sustainability

Sabah Softwoods Berhad effort extended to the People (Community), Planet (Environment) & Profit (Economy) by ensuring its practices be significantly sustainable in all facets of its tree and oil palm businesses.

At Sabah Softwoods Berhad, We Give Back...

To the PEOPLE who work with us, their families and the community that they have built.

to the environment that surrounds us, and the PLANET that we live in.

to the economy of our nation from the PROFIT of our business


Corporate Social Responsibility

Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB) received the "Ladang Bahagia" national award from Malaysia's Prime Minister, Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in May 2009 and Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in May 2010 consecutively. This is a testimony of our commitment to deliver our "WE GIVE BACK" promise.

People rank the highest hierarchy at SSB. Every year, more than RM15 millions of SSB's revenue is spent on improving the lives of our employees and their families. We provide modern amenities and comfortable housing for our 4000 over estate staff and workers by ensuring continuous providing treated water supply and free electricity supply to their homes. Medical care, 24-hour emergency help and ambulance services are made available to their families; free bus services to shuttle the children from the estates to the schools and back; and Day-Care Centre, as well as recreational and sports facilities are set up for the community used.

We have built places of worship, community halls, schools, police stations and security posts at various locations surrounding our estates. Our employees also receive continuous training and development to improve their knowledge and skills. We believe that the key to our success lies in having healthy, happy and competent employees.

Caring for the environment is a core value that we are committed to instill in each of our employees, irrespective of rank and seniority. Our employees understand that the way we treat the environment will ultimately affect the way the environment treats us. SSB is committed to managing all its logged-over forests with a long-term, sustainable plan that addresses all economic, social, environmental and cultural aspects, including proper care in maintaining the biological diversity, ecosystem vitality and soil quality of its plantations, as well as protecting the cultural values of its indigenous people.

We strive to build a profitable business that benefits the environment as well as our stakeholders, which include our shareholders, customers, forest users and employees. We subscribe to sustainable forest management principles and good agriculture practices.Our international accreditations include the Forest Stewardship Council® FSC-C010070 and FSC® Chain-of-Custody (COC) FSC-C104743 certifications. These recognitions endorse us as a premier forest management organization as much as it validates our environmental credentials.


Environment & Conservation

Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB) has set aside approximately 7,000 hectares of Forest areas for conservation and environment to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem as well mitigating climate changes. This area is equivalent to 12% of SSB's productive land bank for environment and conservation for sustainable production. To enhance the biodiversity of the conservation areas, we have been carrying out forest restoration to increase the timber stand and source of food for wildlife by planting indigenous tree species and wild fruit trees. Being a responsible and progressive company, we are committed to using the best management practices in our business operations without compromising the social and environmental aspects. We manage our natural resources in a responsible and sustainable manner by integrating conservation needs and development activities.

Sustaining the environment and biodiversity is an integral part of all aspects and stages of our plantation operations. The MSPO certification are a testimony of our commitment and responsibility to all these goodness and it shows that all environmental and social aspects are in place and well monitored.

Sabah Softwoods Berhad is certified with MSPO for Oil Palm plantation and KPOM since 2016. In addition, the mill is also certified with MSPO-SCCS for CPO and Palm kernel in 2019. All the certifications are in good order.

Land which is conserved helps in carbon sequestration. What we do in SSB may not have a great impact as a whole but we believe changes comes one step at a time. Trees play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and convert it into clean oxygen and carbon. Trees will release the oxygen gas and store the carbon. Trees also are an important element of the landscape for wildlife. Management Team had an opportunity to plant native species and wild fruit trees for wildlife habitat in wildlife corridor area during the year 2016. Like in the words of wisdom of a famous person "You must be the change you wish to see in the world" In Sabah Softwoods "We make the change and we give back to the People and Planet".


Research & Development

Sabah Softwoods Berhad is committed to carry out comprehensive research and development in order to improve the quality of our produce and our yeilds.

With more than 35 years of research and development experience in the agro-forestry plantation industry, it is no surprise that we conduct intensive and stringent tests in out research laboratories to bring about continuous improvements for our respective business. The activities carried out are as below:

Tree Improvement

Eucalyptus pellita

Acacia mangium SSO

Albizia falcataria SSO

Forest Health

Acacias Screening Trial

Disease in Acacia Plantation (Root Rot by Ganoderma philippii)

Disease in Acacia Mangium (Ceratocystis canker)

Disease identifies in Albizia falcataria (Gall Rust by Uromycladium tepperianum)

Silviculture

Soil & Foliar Sampling

Nutritonal Study (Identifying Boron deficiency in Albizia falcataria & Eucalyptus pellita)



Tissue Culture

Oil Palm

Started with MPOB Material (PE) in 2013

Cabbage ex-plant for SSB commercial estate has been introduced in early 2013 for PE & shoots multiplication.

Tissue culture material is further evaluate in Research Nursery for refining technique of acclimatization in the nursery to improve survival and quality

Eucalyptus hybrid (UXG)

Tissue culture material is produced for commercial planting

Eucalyptus hybrid (UXG) has been planted about 416.47Ha in SSB tree plantation


Albizia falcataria

Tissue culture material will be produced for commercial planting in 2017

Eucalyptus pellita

Tissue culture material is currently produced for clonal trial under SSB's Tree Improvement Programme to further evaluate the best performance of clonal for commercial deployment