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Chok added that the extra investment went beyond the company’s bottom line, insisting it was the right thing to do. “The children are really lucky – the company is looking after them in every way. Other companies,” he went on, “look like they’re serious (about helping them), but they’re not.” (Wilmar is not without its critics. The Rainforest Action Network, a San Francisco-based environmental group, alleges the company’s security forces have used violence and heavy machinery against villagers in Indonesia’s Sumatra province – among other heavy-handed policies.

Until recently, one could be forgiven for not being aware of the direct connection between the consumption of palm oil and the imminentthreat of extinction facing orangutans in Indonesia. But for companies like Cargill that are at the center of this controversy, this excuse is running out.

One of the RSPO’s principles is to abide by local regulations, meaning member palm oil producers have committed to avoiding planting on peat lands. However, RSPO members have not agreed to a definition for peat land for the purposes of CSPO.

A rainforest advocacy group said agricultural conglomerate Cargill isn't serious about addressing deforestation concerns related to palm oil.

Rainforest Action Network said, in a statement, that it received a letter from Cargill saying the company has been trying to work with the advocacy group for more than four years. RAN published a statement it said was received by Cargill that said "RAN refuses to have a constructive engagement" about environmental issues.