Ethical Business in Forest Investment - with Eugene Kraamwinkel

Today I’m joined by Eugene Kraamwinkel, CEO of two agribusinesses in Cambodia – Phu Rieng Kratie Ampivath and Dau Tu Saigon Binh Phuoc. In our conversation, Eugene highlights the importance of having a strong Code of Conduct to ensure a long-term sustainable forest business, especially in emerging markets and industries such as forestry and agriculture. We discuss how investors can evaluate business integrity risks and red flags to watch for. Eugene shares a roadmap on how forest business owners can make stepwise improvements toward changing the culture around moral conduct. Eugene also emphasizes that ethical business is not just about committing to transparency and anti-corruption but also about environmental and social ethics.QuoteIt is a long-term investment, and it is going to give you sustainability, and it won’t be sustainable if you want to do it over a short-term period. While forestry investments can be profitable it requires patience, deep commitment to responsible management, and investors need to prioritize opportunities that will align with strong environmental, social, and governance principles to ensure business operates transparently, ethically, and sustainably. Important linksLinkedIn: Eugene KraamwinkelFavorite tree: South African yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius)Production teamHost: Shauna Matkovich - The ForestLinkProducer and editor: Magdalena Laas - Unscripted CreativesDetails02:32Eugene’s background & drive for ethical business practices4:59Why is business integrity important in forestry and agribusiness?07:57Make investors more confident in emerging markets with ethical business conduct risk11:44 Examples of government initiatives to bring about change15:11Starting point for ethical business conduct20:14How can investors be confident that code of conduct will ensure ethical operations in practice25:47Example of shift in from unethical to ethical27:25Red flags for investorsLink between ethics and climate change and sustainability impact33:44Actionable adviceSound libraryNature by MaxKoMusic/SoundcloudSopwell Woodlands and Scohaboy Bog SAC, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, IRELAND by wild_rumpus/SoundcloudSign up now for the ForestLink’s newsletter, where you’ll receive technical advice, reflections, and best-practice guidance to support you with your forest-linked investment strategy or business straight to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.