In April 2016 the IOI Group was sanctioned by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) following a complaint around the lack of peat management in one of their concessions PT Bumi Sawit Sejahtera (BSS).

Following extensive fires in 2015 in the PT BSS concession, the IOI Group was also sanctioned by the Indonesian government. PT BSS, a concession of over 10,000 ha has repeatedly burned over the last years, and the dried out peat lands continue to make it fire prone. The area suffered extensive, repeated fires in 2015.

The PT BSS concessions includes valuable habitat for orangutans, sunbears, proboscis monkey and other endangered species.

Investigators documented new oil palm saplings planted within the extensive area of burnt peatland within the concession, despite government instructions that burned areas need to be restored. Also, Indonesian government regulations indicate that concession holders are responsible and liable for anything that happens inside their concession, including fires.

PT BSS is partly owned by Singapore based Bumitama. The IOI Group is planning to open up another 20,000 ha concession in the same district. PT KPAM is also part of a peatland scape, which when drained will become vulnerable for fires.