Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Samling Timber Malaysia strives to deliver superior financial returns to its stakeholders while serving as a responsible steward of the environment and a beneficial partner to the communities in which we operate. We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint as we work towards zero wastage while engaging with local communities to understand and serve their needs better. We recognize that our ability to operate successfully as a business depends on strong, open and trusting relationships with local communities. We continue to support the development of society by providing local communities with job opportunities, skills and education as well as investing in community programmes to improve their livelihoods.

ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Timber operations, by their very nature can have an impact on the environment and surrounding communities. At the same time, the industry also delivers significant economic and social benefits to communities. We believe in the need to engage with, and support local communities by adopting an inclusive attitude – one that keeps communities informed about our sustainable practices and enables strong community input in our decision-making processes.

Our Community Engagement Programmes

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Fostering Deeper Connections

Our community engagement strategy is built on trust and integrity. We have a deep appreciation of—and the cultural competency to respond to—the history, cultures and social dynamics as well as the diversity of local communities.

We are committed to:

Respecting traditional rights, and integrating the perspectives and knowledge of local communities into forest management activities to enhance benefits and address impacts;
Building trust through early engagement, inclusive dialogue and collaborative processes to better understand each other’s perspectives and priorities;
Collaborating with local communities to help improve their livelihoods and facilitate mutual economic opportunities; and
When necessary, seeking mutually acceptable processes to resolve concerns, grievances or requests.

Click the below link to view our Community Engagement with the Communities:

Community Engagement at Gerenai FMU

Click the below link to view the procedure for Complaint/Request Flow Chart

Samling Complaint/Request Flow Chart (ENG)
Samling Complaint/Request Flow Chart (BM)

Samling Complaint/Request Form (ENG)
Samling Complaint/Request Form (BM)

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community Liaison Team

Focused Dialogues

Agreement

Community Relations

Commencement of Operations

Feedback (Complaints)

On-going Dialogues

Community Engagement Gerenai FMU v1

The community engagement exercise – a collaborative exercise between the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) and Gerenai Forest Management Unit or Gerenai FMU – was meant to raise awareness among communities of the various aspects of Forest Management Certification (FMC) and operations of the FMU.

Community engagement is a core component of the FMC process as it ensures that communities are fully aware of, and engaged with, the activities that will take place within the FMU.

Careful planning was required for this engagement exercise because we were aiming to get strong attendance from the village heads and the Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) members and thus we had to ensure our visits did not clash with the villages’ routines and harvesting schedules.

Jawi Malih explain the procedure of Grievance Form at Long Palai

The second day saw us visiting Long Apu, followed by Long Julan Pelutan and Long Julan Asal on the 13th. We covered Long Palai and Long Anap on the 14th, and Long Silat and Long Makabar on the 15th. The 16th saw us visiting Long Jaeh and Long Selawan, followed the next day by Long Moh-Lepo Tau, Long Moh-Lepo Jengan and Long Moh-Lepo Tepuan.

On the 18th, we travelled to Lio Mato and Long Siut and the next day it was on to Long Tungan and Long Semiyang.

It was an arduous 12-day journey that covered logging roads and rivers, that required a lot of walking and trekking, with stays at various logging camps and homestays, loss of mobile phone signals and plenty of talking and even more of listening.

Along the way, the wonders of the Sarawak forests never ceased to amaze, the pristine beauty of the rivers and the flora never ceased to create awe, the wonderfully still silence of the dense foliage never ceased to instil wonder, and the indomitable nature of the villagers never ceased to lift spirits.

What began as a “process” developed into a journey of wonderment, a journey of education, a journey of appreciation, a journey of self-awareness, a journey of respect, a journey of new friendships.

To overcome the language barrier, we had with us Community Liaison Officer Jeffrey Lian who acted as a translator for both the Kenyah and Penan communities.

Apart from Jeffrey, the team also comprised Wilfred Sedau who oversaw the entire exercise, Rachel Rosedy, and John Mardan from the Gerenai FMU, as well as FDS representatives Evelyn Jugi and Danny Ipan Winston. Other members of the team included Ulok who was also the Camp Manager, Martin Mering and Jawi Maleh.

Beginning 11 January of this year, we set off from Silat Camp on a three-hour road journey to Long Selatong Tanjung Tepalit and from there by long boat across the Batang Baram river to Long Selatong Dikan.

Focused Dialogues

We have a long tradition of engaging with local communities in the areas in which we operate. We hold focused dialogues to inform communities about our impending operations and address their concerns and needs. We provide assurances that our operations will have minimal impact on their livelihoods and the environment.

Negotiation

We communicate with a high degree of clarity about the desired outcomes, indicators and steps to achieving them, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities in agreements and partnerships, mutual accountabilities and community support.

Agreement

Our Agreements are negotiated agreements with local communities. These agreements, often the result of many years of engagement, document not only mutual obligations that are honoured but also the behaviours expected from our employees and contractors. They help reduce potential effects of a project on communities and their environment.

Community Relations

Our teams work in partnership with local communities to understand how our work affects their lives, their culture and their heritage. By doing so, we can respond to community concerns with deeper insight and work to optimise benefits and reduce negative impacts, both for the local communities and for the company.

COMPLAINTS

Samling Timber Malaysia recognises that disagreements may arise in how we conduct our operations. Through all stages of our operations, we work to prevent and minimise impact – social, environmental and health and safety – in part by conducting monitoring in collaboration with local communities, and by following robust international standards and practices. We treat Complaints and feedback are addressed with the gravity the deserve.

We are committed to ensuring that matters of concern are thoroughly investigated to improve our operations.

Click the below link to view the procedure for conflict resolution.

COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND CSR PROGRAMME

CREATING VALUE THROUGH CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

At Samling Timber Malaysia, we are always ready to be a good neighbour and lend a helping hand to local communities. For us, it is about empowering people, uplifting communities, improving lives and bringing positive transformation. We contribute to local communities in a variety of ways including providing for their most basic needs – electricity, water, food, education and infrastructure.

Our integrated approach to corporate social responsibility and sustainability creates value for the company, local communities and our stakeholders. We are constantly raising the bar for ourselves and evolving our corporate social responsibility strategy to create a more responsible, inclusive, and sustainable world.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Samling Timber Malaysia is committed to ensuring communication with various stakeholders is effective, clear, transparent, timely, regular and substantiative. Our ability to operate successfully depends on our strong relationship with stakeholders. This involves identifying the key stakeholders, understanding their issues and interests and managing their expectations. We also understand that every group requires a different frequency and type of engagement.

Below is a snapshot of our approach to engaging with various stakeholders important to our business.

Investors

We engage in regular two-way discussions with our institutional shareholders, host annual shareholder meetings, conferences and site visits. Our website provides the latest announcements, corporate news and in-depth information about the company and industry.

Community

We are committed to developing and maintaining positive and mutually beneficial relationships with local communities wherever we operate. Our community engagement strategy is built on trust and integrity. We work in partnership with local communities to understand how our operations impact their lives and respond to their concerns and needs proactively.

Customers

We engage with our customers primarily through day-to-day personal contact via our sales and marketing teams. We also invite customers to learn more about our company on our website, at forums and on field trips, and we provide input at their request on topics such as procurement and certification processes.

Policymakers and Regulators

Our team regularly interacts with policymakers, regulatory bodies, industry leaders, non-governmental organizations, suppliers and the media through regular site visits, dialogues, forums and correspondence.

Employees

Employees are the most valuable assets of the company. The importance of human capital development is emphasized through training and development including health and safety in all aspect of performance. The employees’ well-being and their capability determines the organization's identity, success, and its sustainability.

General Public

Members of the public at large may engage with us through the “Contact Us” section of our website, which is routed to the appropriate internal experts for response.