LEADING food and global agri-business, Olam International, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Olam Treasury Pte Limited, have secured a revolving sustainability-linked credit facility aggregating US$250 million that is linked to meeting key sustainability performance indicators (KPIs).

The facility, announced on June 18, consists of three tranches – a one-year sustainability-linked revolving credit facility (SRCF) amounting to US$50 million, a two-year SRCF of US$100 million and a three-year SRCF of US$100 million. The interest margin on the facility is linked to the achievement of sustainability KPI improvement targets and could be lower than comparable conventional loans, if those targets are met.

Olam’s managing director and group CFO N Muthukumar describes the KPI-linked facility as another step by the company towards diversification of its funding mix by partnering with quality lenders who believe that Olam is able to move the global sustainability agenda forward even in these challenging and uncertain times.

“This facility is the third sustainability-linked loan that Olam has executed in just the last two years with the support of our banking partners and goes to the heart of our purpose of re-imagining global agriculture and food systems,” he adds

Under the facility, Olam has identified specific KPIs that are aligned with the three purpose outcomes of the company’s sustainability strategy – prosperous farmers and food systems, thriving communities and regeneration of the living world.

The KPIs will be tracked and reported by Olam’s corporate responsibility and sustainability team. Ernst & Young will perform procedures to independently assess the achievement of the KPIs.

This is the third such facility secured by Olam. It announced a US$525 million sustainability KPI-linked revolving credit facility last year and Asia’s first sustainability-linked club loan of US$500 million in 2018. Last year, it also launched the world’s first digital loan of US$350 million, as it continues to live out its purpose to re-imagine global agriculture and food systems.

Olam has appointed ANZ, DBS and Standard Chartered as senior mandated lead arrangers and joint sustainability coordinators, and Rabobank as mandated lead arranger. Standard Chartered has also been appointed as the facility agent.

Proceeds from the latest facility will be applied towards general corporate purposes of Olam and its subsidiaries.