Project
The Empty Fruit Bunch Composting Project
Funder: WIPO GREEN (World Intellectual Property Organization)
Project Timeline: May 1, 2025 - July 31, 2026
Country: Indonesia
Program Areas: Clean Energy & Circular Economy, Natural Resources & Energy, Climate Adaptation, Mitigation & Resilience and Agriculture & Water
Contacts: Aidan Lapierre, Aidan.Lapierre@Winrock.org and Bikash Pandey, bpandey@winrock.org
The Empty Fruit Bunch Composting Project funded by WIPO GREEN is a pilot initiative implemented by Winrock International in partnership with an Indonesian palm oil mill. The project uses microbial composting accelerator to speed up aerobic composting of a mix of empty fruit bunches and palm oil mill effluent. This industrial-scale composting pilot will reduce air pollution and fire risks while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
By shortening composting time, the initiative aims to make composting more appealing to other palm oil mills rather than the usual process of incineration. The compost will be sold to farmers and is expected to generate an additional revenue stream for the mill. The project will support the identified mill with facility design, construction and operation, covering the cost of composting inputs like microbial accelerator. It also offers free lab testing of compost samples and ongoing technical advisory services. Results will be shared with other palm oil mills across Indonesia.
WIPO GREEN, an interactive marketplace that connects technology and service providers with those seeking innovative solutions, was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2013.