Corrie MacColl details landmark collaboration in Cameroon

Singapore — Natural rubber company Corrie MacColl, a subsidiary of global NR supply chain manager Halcyon Agri, has joined forces with local and international NGOs to support rubber production across its plantations in Cameroon.

Two prominent NGOs, Mighty Earth and the Community Forests Platform, have joined the Cameroon Sustainability Council initiated by Corrie MacColl after a long-running consultation, Corrie MacColl said in a 21 Nov news release.

"We warmly welcome this much-needed step of including Cameroonian civil society groups in the council," said Etelle Higonnet, senior campaign director at Mighty Earth. 

"With their active participation, we hope the council can thrive with the involvement of legitimate local community leaders."

Halcyon Agri launched its sustainable natural rubber supply chain policy (SNRSCP) to meet World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recommendations for its Cameroon subsidiary Sudcam last November.

As part of the move, Halcyon’s marketing arm Corrie MacColl set up the Cameroon sustainability council to monitor the implementation of the policy within both Corrie MacColl and Sudcam.

The collaboration with Mighty Earth and the Community Forests Platform will emphasise dialogue and input from the local level, according to Corrie MacColl. 

It will ensure that indigenous and local communities have a voice in all the council's decisions, and help the council guide "sustainable, community-led" rubber production in Cameroon.

"We have made it our priority that the production of sustainable natural rubber includes, involves and is driven by those impacted most by it – local farmers, communities and tribes," said Halcyon Agri CEO Robert Meyer. "This is a huge step toward doing that."

Corrie MacColl's discussions with these and other NGOs focus on a strategy to minimise governmental impact and promote positive benefits to local communities and farmers, according to the release.