Ever since Mano Palm Oil Industries’ inception, sustainability has been the company’s guiding light; a field in which we have sough to progressively understand, nurture, and embed within the company’s corporate culture. We have learnt to consider our stakeholders’ interests and needs while doing business. This is done by acknowledging that while we intend to operate by maximizing profit, we need to consider the risks as well as the opportunities associated with the palm oil field, be it health, social and environmental. As MPOI is progressing towards having its oil certified, we are committed to implementing responsible agriculture and social practices while meeting a wide range of stakeholder expectations. Our sustainability approach lies within not only identifying and managing supply chain sustainability risks but through strategic partnerships that meet the expectation of global markets. We ensure operational excellence without compromising our commitments to
contribute to a better society, minimize environmental harm and deliver sustainable development. Thus, our sustainability approach is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the RSPO standard for Sustainable Oil Palm Production. MPOI turns three this year, but it has already come a long way. We believe that we have been progressing and achieving great results all under the objective of building on a great and sustainable foundation for future generations to come. We at MPOI are not only focused on our own success, but also on the development of Liberia as a whole, which we aim to contribute to by working hand in hand with all our stakeholders.

Implementing the sustainable practices adapted by the UNGC portrays the company’s commitment to a sustainable future. As MPOI envisions that encouraging sustainable practices in landscape and supply chain is the way towards a better future, MPOI have used the SDGs as a tool guide in the way the company operates to ensure a positive impact on both its people, and surroundings. Here are just a few examples on how the principles are incorporated in our business. SDG 8 which is targeted at Decent Work and Economic Growth is portrayed through the establishment of certain policies such as MPOI’s human rights policy and our code of business conduct which includes provisions to eliminate discrimination and child labor. This can also apply to SDG 10. SDG 15 is supported through the adoption of responsible land use practices to ensure life of land. Additionally, our contribution to smallholders and communities promotes several SDGS, which includes SDGs 1, 11, 16, 15 and 5. SDG 6 is also portrayed in MPOI’s plantation and in its employee housing where clean water and sanitization is provided to all. Finally, SDG 12 for the responsible consumption and production, is conveyed by MPOI through our specific policies and standard operating procedures on the management and storage of materials that are toxic to the environment.

MPOI owns five schools in its concession area, offering education to the communities surrounding the plantation. This year, in order to make sure that our schools are constantly offering good quality education, MPOI is currently renovating the school laboratory at Mano Central School, making sure it is an efficient lab that accommodate the different disciplines of science. New offices have also been established in the schools, all falling under SDG 9 and 4, offering good quality education while maintaining good infrastructure to do so.
MPOI has decided to give away Scholarships to the first five selected deserving students who have earned it from the Mano Central High School in the year 2020/2021 Academic Year as enshrined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement entered into between the Workers Union and the Company. More than 200 students successfully graduated from the 12th grade. This falls under SDG 4 as MPOI is encouraging its students to engage in continuing education.
It gives us great pride to announce that Mano Palm Oil Industries has established a delivery room in Bomi County for women all around the area to have their babies delivered at our facility. We could not be prouder of our team working on this to make sure the maternity unit is up to standards and serving the women of our communities. Having access to proper maternity care is a human right that should be granted to all women! This falls under SDG 10, making sure inequality is reduced in our surrounding communities. Additionally, maternity and breast feeding leave at MPOI is taken very seriously. MPOI promotes and protects the rights of all its workforce, be it male or female but we understand that women in particular should hold certain rights. This falls under SDG 5. MPOI ensures that female employees have access to sexual and reproductive health information which would enable them to make informed decisions about their health. MPOI also ensure that pregnant women are not allowed to carry out activities that would expose them to hazardous products. MPOI now has a total of 287 female employees.
In an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus in Liberia, MPOI’s clinic has been giving out COVID vaccines as we believe that this is a moral obligation towards our employees, our stakeholders and the Liberian people in general. In addition to the COVID vaccine, MPOI’s clinic offers a wide variety of vaccines such as: Polio, OPV, Measles, Yellow Fever, and PCG. This promotes SDG 3.

Ensure compliance with international standards: Compliance with RSPO requirements by year 2024 and further fulfilment of the UNGC obligations.
Build legal and regulatory compliance: Develop agriculture commitments and policies to ensure their implementation at all levels of the organization
Communication with our stakeholders on all levels.

MPOI is currently under the process of finalizing its updated collective bargaining agreement which is merely a written legal contract between an employer and a union representing the employees. As collective bargaining is the process in which working people-through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and etc. this would ensure MPOI’s commitment towards labor rights as MPOI’s employees is its biggest asset.

MPOI believes that its team is its biggest asset, thus MPOI is completely committed to ensure and preserve a great work environment. MPOI shall make every effort to minimize any foreseeable risk that could incur in the workplace. This shall also involve residents residing next to MPOI’s operations. MPOI has established this Health and Safety Policy to convey its commitment and expectations to its employees as well as all other relevant stakeholders affected by MPOI’s business operations. This falls under SDG 3, where good health and well being of our employees and communities lies within the company's top priority.
MPOI takes any complaint raised by its employees or stakeholder very seriously. Thus, a Dispute Resolution Policy has been established to come up with guiding principles and procedures to dealing with any grievance put forward, at any time. This is to ensure that local and other interested parties including employees understand the communication and consultation process for raising any issues as the company recognizes that any dispute resolution mechanisms put forth must be through open and transparent process where all grievances are dealt with in an effective, fairly and in a timely manner. This falls under SDG 16, where we believe promoting peace and justice within the organization is crucial to build a strong institution with solid foundations, ensuring all our stakeholders are satisfied in the way the company operates.
This Accident Reporting Policy has been established to document any event that may or may not have caused injuries to a person or the organization and identify the root cause (s) of any occurrence, be it injuries and accidents, near misses, property and equipment damage, health and safety incidents or misconduct in the workplace. This Accident Reporting Policy will grant workers the necessary knowledge to help prevent any incident from occurring again. This falls under SDG 3, which portrays once again the company's commitment to the good health and well-being of our employees.
Mano Palm Oil is honorably proud to have established a health and safety department this year, in which we hold in high esteem. Although MPOI has always held certain regulations regarding health and safety in its workplace, forming a department not only conveys our commitment to this area, but also puts the field in our top priority as we aim to monitor health and safety risks in the workplace by ensuring the business is legally compliant with all health and safety legislation. To that end, it is crucial that we work with and train all employees to manage, monitor and improve health and safety standards in the workplace. Once again, this falls under SGS 3, promoting health.
Mano Palm Oil is proud to announce that its parent company Mano Manufacturing established The Mano Super Store which is the first supermarket on the Mano Palm Oil Plantation where goods are sold at a wholesale price. This helps all relevant stakeholders, whether employees or community residence, to benefit from this supermarket by having access to reputable products at low cost and by improving the economy. All our employees are entitled to credit lines up to 150 USD. This falls under SDG 8, because as Mano Super Store operates on credit basis, improving the livelihood of the people, promoting economic growth around those areas.

Ensure compliance with international standards: Compliance with RSPO requirements by year 2024 and further fulfilment of the UNGC obligations.
Build legal and regulatory compliance: Develop agriculture commitments and policies to ensure their implementation at all levels of the organization
Communication with our stakeholders on all levels.

Implementing the sustainable practices adapted by the UNGC portrays the company’s commitment to a sustainable future. As MPOI envisions that encouraging sustainable practices in landscape and supply chain is the way towards a better future, MPOI have used the SDGs as a tool guide in the way the company operates to ensure a positive impact on both its people, and surroundings. Here are just a few examples on how the principles are incorporated in our business. SDG 8 which is targeted at Decent Work and Economic Growth is portrayed through the establishment of certain policies such as MPOI’s human rights policy and our code of business conduct which includes provisions to eliminate discrimination and child labor. This can also apply to SDG 10. SDG 15 is supported through the adoption of responsible land use practices to ensure life of land. Additionally, our contribution to smallholders and communities promotes several SDGS, which includes SDGs 1, 11, 16, 15 and 5. SDG 6 is also portrayed in MPOI’s plantation and in its employee housing where clean water and sanitization is provided to all. Finally, SDG 12 for the responsible consumption and production, is conveyed by MPOI through our specific policies and standard operating procedures on the management and storage of materials that are toxic to the environment.

This policy has been established to sustain environmental standards in the areas in which MPOI operates in. MPOI understands the consequences that the palm oil industry has on the environment and recognizes that it has an absolute responsibility towards implementing sustainable measures for future generations to come. For that reason, MPOI has established this Environmental Policy which shall be implemented across all our operations to minimize the impact it has on the environment and the Liberian communities. This includes a no deforestation, no peat and no exploitation policy, all of which fall under SDGS 12, with the aim to consume and produce responsibly.
MPOI is in the process of developing its waste management strategy to strengthen MPOI’s commitment to minimizing environmental impacts associated with the waste generated from its activities. This policy specifically outlines how waste streams from different sources in our operations as well as their quantities, should be managed. This will ultimately set up the path forward for the nature of collection, separations and the treatment of systems which would involve recycling, and other disposal methods. At MPOI we understand that a management plan should cover all waste steams and their treatment. This falls under SGS 12, for operating sustainably. However, since our operations generate POME, which is the oily wastewater generated by palm oil processing mills, the company is working towards treating the POME through anaerobic digestion with methane capture followed by utilization of treated POME as liquid fertilizer to fulfill the wastewater quality standard. This would prevent polluting the community waters. Thus, SDG 6 can also fall here.

Ensure compliance with international standards: Compliance with RSPO requirements by year 2024, Further fulfilment of the UNGC obligations and Compliance with the EU Deforestation Law.
Build legal and regulatory compliance: Develop agriculture commitments and policies to ensure their implementation at all levels of the organization
Communication with our stakeholders on all levels.

Corruption is an illegal and dishonest way that people in positions of power engage in unethical and illegal activities. They will do so strictly for personal gain. This leads to them taking undue advantage of others. At MPOI, to ensure that no such doings take place, the code of business conduct applies here. Just like it applies to every area in which it operates in, it also particularly portrays MPOI’s compliance with anti-corruption as it sheds light on 1-Avoiding conflict of interests, guarding against bribery and corruption, how to deal with donations, dealing with counterparts and business partners, and dealing with government authorities, political parties and international organizations.

The Code of Business Conduct provides guidance on the standards of behavior expected of all directors and employees at MPOI. The company takes a zero-tolerance approach towards bribery and corruption, and is committed to behaving professionally, fairly and with integrity in all business dealings and relationships and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery and corruption. The consequences of bribery and corruption are severe, and may include imprisonment for individuals, unlimited fines, debarment from tendering for pubic contracts, and damage to the company's organization. The core principles lie within not influencing others or to be influenced, either directly or indirectly, by paying or receiving bribes or kickbacks or any other measures that are deemed unethical or will tarnish the company's reputation. This also applies to donations. We always ask our team members to ask themselves, does this receipt of a gift from a supplier or customer make you feel obligated? Is the gift you are giving to a customer an exceptional reward or an incentive for a transaction?

Ensure compliance with international standards: Compliance with RSPO requirements , Further fulfilment of the UNGC obligations.
Build legal and regulatory compliance: Develop agriculture commitments and policies to ensure their implementation at all levels of the organization
Communication with our stakeholders on all levels.