Protecting people

Empowering people

We work to empower people and communities in our operational areas, supporting good causes, building infrastructure, and providing direct and indirect employment opportunities through our operations and support for small businesses.

Through programmes like APRIL’s Integrated Farming System we help communities raise their income and minimise their environmental impact by teaching more sustainable practices and providing access to modern techniques and equipment.

Healthcare

We improve access to healthcare for communities in rural areas, especially those that are beyond the reach of public health services. Dozens of health campaigns are organised each year to engage and educate communities on health, hygiene and nutrition. Our business groups work with local health authorities to provide free medical consultation and basic medicine.

One such initiative is APRIL’s stunting prevention programme in Indonesia, delivered in partnership with the Cita Sehat Foundation and regional health agencies. Targeting 74 villages, the programme aims to improve early childhood nutrition and development outcomes through five core pillars: community education, maternal health monitoring, improved sanitation, provision of nutritious food, and regular health screening. The initiative has helped reduce infant stunting rates to below 14 per cent, demonstrating impact on child wellbeing.

RGE has trained more than 300 healthcare givers, raising the standard and quality of health check-ups. These collective efforts have benefitted over 150,000 people across our areas of operation.

Respecting consent

We adopt the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent in our engagement with local communities and indigenous peoples in the areas where we operate.

Education

With thousands of scholarships given out to date, the RGE group of companies continue to support education and higher learning across all levels – primary, secondary and post-secondary.

Our business groups partner with local authorities, non-government organisations and educational institutions to create accessible platforms for our staff and members of communities to receive and complete their education, while providing training for teachers and improved facilities for schools.

In China, Asia Symbol partnered with the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to fund and co-develop a mental health curriculum for schools. Since its inception, the initiative has reached more than 170 primary and secondary schools in six cities, trained over 680 teachers and delivered specialised mental health education to more than 13,000 students, reinforcing the importance of emotional well-being alongside academic learning.

In Brazil, Bracell partners with the Chapada Institute of Education and Research to provide classroom-level guidance and tools to strengthen educational delivery and learning effectiveness in local schools.

Infrastructure

RGE companies support infrastructure development for communities. We have provided clean water, sanitation facilities, roads and educational and sporting facilities for thousands of communities around the world. Infrastructure rewards such as clinics, bridges, mosques and day care centres have also been used as part of our Fire Free Village Programme to incentivise communities to prevent fire on their land, reducing burnt areas by more than 90 per cent since the programme began.

Human rights

Respecting human rights is a fundamental commitment across all RGE business groups. Through our Human Rights Policy, there is a collective focus on safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of individuals, including children, in our operational areas. Guided by international standards, RGEs business groups work to ensure that policies and practices are in place to support employees and local communities — such as providing access to education, healthcare and essential services — while strengthening family and community welfare. This commitment extends across sourcing, employment and community engagement.

The Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) conducted by APRIL in 2022 mapped risks and assessed human rights impacts across its operations and supply chain. Informed by the HRIA, the group prioritised key focus areas, including diversity, equity and inclusion, child protection, living and working conditions, and community livelihoods. APRIL has established human rights due diligence systems, and in 2024, also launched its Children’s Welfare Code of Practice as part of a three-year action plan. This initiative ensures children in its estates, including those of its contractors, have access to education, healthcare and related services, anchored in five pillars of focus: care, education, protection, welfare, health, and nutrition.