Info Hub
Our database of policy documents,
studies, data, tools and
much more…
-
Policy related info
-
Europe
- Proces info EU legislation against deforestation for products placed on EU market On legislative proposal for Minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market. News: legislative proposal expected 3rd or even 4th quarter 2021.
- EC Communication: Deforestation and forest degradation, Stepping Up EU action Initiative from the European Commission aiming to present an integrated EU approach to combat deforestation, protect forests and promote sustainable supply chains.
- The European Green Deal The European Green Deal provides a roadmap with actions to (1) boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy and (2) restore biodiversity and cut pollution. It outlines investments needed and financing tools available and explains how to ensure a just and inclusive transition.
- The EU Farm to Fork Strategy Moving towards a more healthy and sustainable EU food system, a corner stone of the European Green Deal. The EU Fork to Farm strategy sets out both regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives, with the common agricultural and fisheries policies as key tools to support a just transition.
- European Taxonomy on sustainable finance The EU Taxonomy is a tool to help investors, companies, issuers, and project promoters navigate the transition to a low-carbon, resilient and resource-efficient economy. It is one of the most significant developments in sustainable finance and will have wide ranging implications for investors and issuers working in the EU, and beyond
- T & E (2020) 10 years of EU fuels policy Animal feed is the sole most important use of soy in Europe, yet also the use for biodiesel (now 1,1 MT) is getting more relevant because of policy. Factsheet with useful data.
- Info on French Due Diligence legislation
- Info on German Due Diligence legislation
- Info on UK Due Diligence legislation
- Global Resource Initiative Taskforce (UK) The Global Resource Initiative Taskforce (GRI) considered how we can reduce the climate and environment effects of key UK supply chains.
- Info on Dutch Due Diligence legislation
-
S America
- IUCN NL (2019) An analysis of existing laws on forest protection in the main soy-producing countries in Latin America This report investigates what legal compliance means for protecting forests and ecosystems in the main Latin American countries of origin for European soy: Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. It is meant provide valuable input to companies, financial institutions, government representatives and NGOs who seek to step up their efforts in Europe and elsewhere.
- Brock et al (2021) Implementing Brazil's Forest Code Brazil’s ‘Forest Code’ is a key tool to reconcile environmental preservation and agricultural production; it limits deforestation and requires forest restoration in illegally deforested areas. However, not all provisions of the law’s 2012 revision have yet been implemented and some are facing new challenges. Using modelled land use change projections for the whole of the country, the article shows that full implementation and enforcement of the law has the potential to contribute to conserving biodiversity. Biodiversity outcomes will be especially positive if (i) deforested areas are restored in ways that support recolonization by native species and (ii) additional measures are implemented to protect native vegetation in areas like Caatinga dry forests and Cerrado savannas, which may experience added pressure displaced from other regions by Forest Code implementation.
- CPI (2020) Where does Brazil stand with implementation forest code
- Abiove (2020) Amazon Soy Moratorium Report https://abiove.org.br/en/relatorios/moratoria-da-soja-relatorio-12o-ano/ This report describes the methodology used and presents the results of soy monitoring in the Amazon Biome for the 2018/19 crop year, in the context of the Soy Moratorium.
- Explanation of forest law categories in Argentina, by FVSA, in Spanish
- Information implementation forest law Argentina per province, by FVSA, in Spanish
- FARN (2017) Diez anos de la ley de bosques (Argentina)
- Partnering with Paraguay for Forest Conservation - report for ADP by IUCN NL 2021 This report is the result of an assignment given by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands. The assignment was meant for dialogue among ADP (Amsterdam Declaration Partnership), to provide input on Paraguay, as a potential country for direct collaboration, next to Brazil. The report provides: (1) insights in the situation related to deforestation in Paraguay (2) an overview of relevant activities by ADP countries and major other programs to promote good forest and land governance, and (3) suggestions (focusing on the ADP countries, but also beyond these) to step up action and collaboration towards zero deforestation and ecosystem conversion in Paraguay and its agro value chains.
-
China
- China sustainable soy guidelines Proposal for step by step improvement of a China specific approach to sustainable sourcing, published by Solidaridad Asia.
- China- South America sustainable soybean trade platform
- Denggao, Liu (2021) China should play its part in curbing soy-driven ecosystem loss The former vice president of the China Soybean Industry Association on the role China could play in curbing soy-driven ecosystem loss
-
Europe
-
Standard benchmarks and sourcing guidelines
- Profundo (2019) Setting the bar for deforestation free soy in Europe (benchmark of soy standards) This report (commissioned by IUCN NL) has benchmarked standards compliant with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 1.0. The benchmark focuses on the issue of avoiding deforestation and conversion caused by soy production in Europe and by soy production for exports to Europe. It has been used as the benchmark to define deforestation free soy standards in the European Soy Monitor ( 2017 -2019), is ingredient to Nutreco's soy sourcing policy and inspired an update in the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines (2021).
- Thuenen (2019) Entwaldungsfreie agrarrohstofe (Benchmark of soy standards, in German) An evaluation of FEFAC (2015) compliant standards with regard to the conservation of natural ecosystems, good agricultural practice, social criteria, auditing and traceability systems. The final list of best scoring standards comes close to those identified by Profundo (2019).
- FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2.0 (2021) The FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines, the first version launched in 2015, defined a baseline for what the European feed industry considers to qualify as responsible soy, basically controlling on legal complaince. The guidelines are not a responsible soy standard but mean to facilitate market transparency. This link leads to the update in 2021, containing some new criteria and including an outline how to define conversion free sourcing.
- FEFAC SSG 2.0 Benchmarking Tool of Soy Standards This online portal allows compound feed manufacturers, as well as other stakeholders, to see which soy schemes and programmes are in compliance with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2021, released in February 2021
- Accountability Framework, tools and guides The AFI is an authoritative initiative in terms of definitions (such as deforestation and conversion free), but also on guidance to define company policies on conversion free respoinsible sourcing. It delivers guidance for example where certification is not yet (fully) possible, but verification is important.
- The Accountability Framework and certification, example of RTRS Certification programs and the Accountability Framework are complementary tools to define and implement ethical supply chains. Companies can use certification to help achieve and verify sustainability performance for the commodities they produce or source, consistent with the Accountability Framework. The Framework supports a company-wide approach to ethical supply chains and may be used to help manage non-certified supplies and to address additional elements of responsible business.
- Soy Roadmap by Forest Positive Coalition The Soy Roadmap delivers guidance on 5 elements: (1) Own Supply Chain (2) Suppliers and Traders (3) Monitoring and Managing High-risk Origins (4) Engagement in Regions and Landscapes and (5) Transparency and Accountability The Roadmap includes 8 KPIs, the details of which can differ slightly for manufacturers who buy soy directly, and for those who are users of embedded soy and retailers. Beyond the KPIs, the Roadmap also includes a series of public information requirements for individual companies, including public policy commitments to the forest positive goals, a summary of their time-bound action plan, soy footprint and methodology, and supplier lists. The Soy Roadmap is a product by Forest Positive Coalition of the Consumer Goods Forum, supported by Tropical Forest Alliance and Proforest.
- WWF & BCG (2021) Deforestation and conversion free supply chains: a guide for action Facts and figures but most of all a call to enhance collective, sector- and/or landscape wide initiatives to achieve green supplies and green suppliers. By WWF with Boston Consulting Group.
- Soy Transparency Coalition and 3Keel - 2020 Trader Assessment This report of the Soy Transparency Coalition is the first annual assessment of progress among key traders; a combination of desk-based research, and direct engagement. Key findings on the 2019 calendar year: (1) Transparency remains a blocker, but not with insurmountable barriers. (2) Deforestation commitments are inconsistent and often ambiguous. (3) The soy supply chain is perceived as low risk for exploitation when compared to other commodities (4) Specific focus for supplier engagement is targeted at high priority municipalities in Brazil; high-risk regions in Argentina and Paraguay receive more limited attention. (5) Many traders continue to cite a lack of market demand for deforestation and conversion free soy as a barrier to increasing the volumes of certified soy. (6) A verification gap exists for third party sourced soy volumes. (7) Customer demand dictates trader action. (8) Traders who did not engage consistently scored lower.
- WWF and Global Canopy- Soy Traders Scorecard (2021) Summary and Infographics This is the link to main findings and the revealing infographics of the scorecard, all online. The scorecard shows that the best two traders come only halfway of WWF's wish list of conversion free requirements, with 52,5 (Amaggi) being the highest score, and Cargill following. Includes a list of trader specific recommendations.
- IUCN NL & University of Buenos Aires (2021) Soy and Agroecology. building a bridge Agroecology integrates ecological principles and biodiversity management into farming systems with the aims of increasing the multi-functionality and total farm productivity, while reducing dependency on external inputs, and sustaining or enhancing ecosystem services. This paper discusses how to bridge the insights from the current ‘agroecological niche’ in the market to the – almost 400 million tonnes – global ‘mainstream’ high input soy market. Should they remain worlds apart or can soy production overall become more future proof by applying such practices? And what roles do standards, buyers, governments and financial institutions have to play?
- Consumer Goods Forum Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines (2016) The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) sourcing guidelines 2016 gave recommendations on how to address deforestation and other key sustainability issues associated with the production of soy.
-
Studies and reports
-
Europe
- The European Soy Monitor 2019 This short update of the European Soy Monitor over the year 2019 is based on same methods for progress on deforestation free and responsible soy as last year. It tells us that 25 % of European domestic soy use was certified by the deforestation (and often conversion) free standards among the "FEFAC SSG 2015 compliant" standards. The whole FEFAC group scored 42 %, a small progress compared to last year.
- The European Soy Monitor 2018 This second European Soy Monitoring Report gives an update on the transition towards responsible and deforestation-free soy in the EU-28, Norway and Switzerland (EU+). In 2018, 38% of all soybean meal consumed in EU+ was compliant with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines and 19% was certified deforestation-free.
- The European Soy Monitor 2017 Report with insights on the European supply chain and the use of responsible and deforestation-free soy in 2017. This report has been commissioned by IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative and IUCN NL, the Dutch national committee of IUCN.
- Greenpeace (2020) Report Under Fire Over the past decade there have been numerous commitments from industry to source forest/ecosystem risk commodities ‘responsibly’. Five years ago, more than 150 companies came together with governments, indigenous peoples and civil society organizations to sign the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), promising to eliminate deforestation for commodities like soya, cattle and palm oil by 2020.4 In September 2019, the NYDF’s official assessment concluded that achieving this goal is now ‘likely impossible’ because ‘efforts to date have been inadequate to achieve systemic change’
- WWF (2021) Stepping Up, the continuing impact of EU consumption on nature worldwide Study based on TRASE data of 2017, and data over period 2005-2017. Meant to sustain the call for EU legislation against deforestation and conversion, it sparked a lot of debate.
- IDH (2020) Soy footprint of animal products in Europe This document provides an overview of the estimated country specific soy footprint of animal products: pig meat, poultry meat, eggs and dairy milk (including derived products) in Europe between 2012 and 2015.
-
S America
- WWF webinfo Cerrado
- IUCN NL (2019) An analysis of laws on forest protection in the main soy producing countries in Latin America 110 million ha of forest can still be legally converted, and many more grasslands and wetlands converted according to local laws in Brasil, Argentina and Paraguay. The report argues for strong efforts for legal compliance PLUS above legal conservation to sufficiently protect biodiversity against expansion of agrocommodities.
- Solidaridad (2021) Regional potential for soy expansion of soy in Matopiba
- Abiove (2021) Geospacial analysis of soy crop in the Cerrado
- Soft Commodities Forum Progress Report June 2021
- Agrosatelite (2021) Cerrado Soy Dynamics -in 61 priority municipalities
- INSPER (2021) Decoupling Soy and Beef from Illegal Amazon Deforestation: Brazilian Private Sector Initiatives
- WWF (2014) The growth of soy Despite being 7 years old, this publication still can be an important resource for its discussion of impacts on diverse Latin American biomes, and elements needed for solution seeking.
-
N America
- WWF Plowprint Report 2018 online The Plowprint Report analyzes grassland loss and identifies remaining intact grasslands across the Great Plains region.
- WWF Plowprint Report 2018 PDF The Plowprint Report analyzes grassland loss and identifies remaining intact grasslands across the Great Plains region.
-
Europe
-
Soy initiatives
-
Market (demand side) initiatives
- The Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi) The Accountability Framework Initiative is advanced through a diverse coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting forests, natural ecosystems, and human rights by making ethical production and trade the new normal. This coalition includes: the National Wildlife Federation; The Nature Conservancy; Proforest; Rainforest Alliance; Resourcetrust; Social Accountability International (SAI); Veritѐ; World Resources Institute; WWF; Independent experts – Gita Syanhrani(Indonesia) and Silas Siakor (Liberia). The aim of the AFi is to catalyze a broad shift to ethical practices in agricultural and forestry production and trade, so that these activities protect natural ecosystems, respect human rights, and improve the wellbeing of people and communities in commodity-producing landscapes. These impacts will be realized through the fulfillment of strong ethical supply chain commitments.
- Amsterdam Declarations Partnership The Amsterdam Declarations Partnership group currently consists of 9 countries. ADP's goal is deforestation-free, sustainable commodities, including soya, palm oil and cocoa. The strategy includes: (1) Support European and EU action on climate, deforestation & trade; (2) Stimulate a global value chain approach for agricultural commodities; (3) Enhanced dialogue with major consumer / producer countries and (4) Enhanced monitoring, transparency, and voluntary CSR reporting. Secretariat: pdk@mekonecology.net
- Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition of Action (CoA) Soy Working Group The CGF Forest Positive CoA currently has 17 members. Over three-quarters have joined the Soy Working Group. In addition to fully implementing forest positive commitments for their own supply chains, Coalition members will work with their suppliers to implement forest positive commitments across their whole soy business, as well as supporting forest positive change in production landscapes thereby supporting the transition to 100 % conversion-free, sustainable soy.
- Statement of Support (SoS) for Cerrado Manifesto The FAIRR Initiative peer network for institutional investors, is particularly concerned about the deforestation risks inherent in protein supply chains. The Statement of Support for the Cerrado Manifesto aims to halt deforestation and native vegetation loss in the Cerrado and promote more resilient agriculture and sustainable land planning approaches in the region. Signatories support the development of soy and cattle production in a manner that avoids deforestation and native vegetation loss, such as using the 38 million hectares of already converted land in the Cerrado that is suitable for agriculture. The SoS is led by a Steering Committee including Ahold Delhaize, APG, Avara Foods, CGF, FAIRR, Grieg Seafood, Nestlé, Nutreco, PRI, Robeco, SIM, Tesco (chair) and Unilever. SoS signatories have developed an SoS Implementation Roadmap to support signatories with turning their SoS commitment into meaningful action aligned with their own policies and ambitions.
- Retail Soy Group (RSG) The RSG is a pre-competitive collaboration between international retailers, currently with a primarily European membership encompassing: Ahold Delhaize, Aldi South, Asda, Co-op (Swiss), Co-op (UK), Lidl (UK), M&S, Migros, REWE Group, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose & Partners. RSG members seek to develop a market where sustainable soy is the norm. They work together to listen to what the market says need to be done, to deliver this and to respond in return to play their part in bringing about change.
- Soft Commodities Forum (SCF) The SCF is hosted and managed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and involves private sector – global leading agribusinesses (ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO International, Glencore Agriculture, Louis Dreyfus Company).The SCF is working with its members to increase transparency across their supply chains, nurture effective collaboration and promote initiatives that balance environmental, social and economic interests. The focus of the group is currently (2020) on the Brazilian Cerrado, given its relevance for soy production and its biodiversity and ecosystem value.
- European National Soy Initiatives (ENSI) group This is an informal group of European national soya initiatives, specifically focused on bringing conveners of these groups together to share lessons and collaborate. The intention of the group is to share lessons on convening, driving change and ensuring impact on the global level. Other participants include the Amsterdam Declaration Secretariat and IDH as the authors of the European Soy Monitor. The ENSI Secretariat is managed by Schuttelaar and Partners, info@ensi-platform.eu
- Collaboration for Forests & Agriculture (CFA) The Collaboration for Forests & Agriculture (CFA) Operational Guidance is the product of a collaboration between World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and funded by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. The Operational Guidance is an implementation roadmap developed for the Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi) by the CFA. The roadmap was developed in partnership with multiple companies across the value chain from retailers, food service companies, feed companies and traders located across the US, Europe, and Latin America.
- UN PRI Investor Working Group for Sustainable Commodities The Investor Initiative for Sustainable Forests, run in collaboration with Ceres, was helping investors to understand how deforestation within cattle and soybean supply chains represents a material risk to companies. We now refer to the PRI Investor Working Group on Sustainable Commodities for statements and other work on soy, beef and palm oil. Top directly read their Investor Statement on Soy: https://www.unpri.org/download?ac=10610
-
Field-oriented initiatives
- IDH – SourceUp Platform SourceUp is a new platform for companies and coalitions in producing regions to work together on sustainable agri-commodity sourcing. SourceUp is to be the go-to place for buyers of agriculture and forestry commodities and products wanting to engage in landscape-level sustainability efforts. SourceUp is effective in increasing the engagement of these buyers with Compacts; in facilitating that areas that perform better in terms of sustainability are rewarded in terms of preferential sourcing, funding and technical assistance; and in improving supply chain transparency. See website or brochure attached.
- Produce, Conserve, Include Strategy The PCI Institute is an independent non-profit institution that aims to ensure the PCI strategy’s effectiveness, explore long-term policy creation and financing and provide transparent and inclusive governance. The Mato Grosso government appointed the PCI Institute as its official vehicle to enable multi-stakeholder coordination, advise on public policies and measures, lead fundraising efforts and manage and monitor PCI programs. Combined, these actions position Mato Grosso as a leader of sustainable and inclusive rural development in Brazil. Founder organisations of the PCI Institute are: Brazilian Union of Corn Ethanol Producers – UNEM, Amaggi, Marfrig, IDH, Agroicone, ICV, Earth Innovation and EcoArts.
-
Market (demand side) initiatives
-
Tools
- Supply Chain
- Definitions
- Certification schemes
-
Sustainable sourcing toolkits
- Soy Toolkit introduction The Soy Toolkit offers systematic guidance on how to set up a responsible soy sourcing policy. It contains 5 elements and explains practical steps in a number of webinars. (1) Assess and plan implementation (2) Understanding supply chain risks (3) Engaging suppliers (4) Establish a purchase control system (5) Monitor, verify and report. The Soy Toolkit is made by Proforest, with support from GEF/WWF.
- Soy Toolkit webinars Just 1 hours and 20 minutes needed to see the 6 webinars outlining the recommended elements of your soy sourcing policy: (1) Assess and plan implementation (2) Understand supply chain risks (a & b), (3) Engage suppliers (4) Establish a purchase control system (5) Monitor, verify and report. In the webinars one can also see how certification comes into picture as element in a robust company policy. The Soy Toolkit is made my Proforest with support of GEF/ WWF.
- Soy Toolkit, step by step example for UK companies Based on the Proforest Soy Toolkit (see Soy Toolkit and webinars), Efeca elaborated a guidance for UK companies where to start with responsible sourcing. It contains additional suggestions to the Toolkit, also useful for other countries to have a glance
- Breaking down fats and oils This interactive online guide to the major oils and fats, their risks and relations, can help companies to make informed choices on products like soy oil, palm oil, coconut oil and other. It is the first popular decision-making-oriented publication of its kind, assessing all major oils and fats as an interrelated system. For one or two scientific articles on this, see studies and reports.
- See also: standard benchmarks and sourcing guidelines You can find various guidelines for responsible sourcing under "(standard benchmarks and) sourcing guidelines"
-
Deforestation data
- Global Forest Watch Global Forest Watch offers data, technology and tools that inform people to better protect forests.
- PRODES, official data deforestation Brazil (Cerrado, Amazon and Legal Amazon) This is the official data on deforestation in Brazil (Cerrado + Amazon + Legal Amazon). They have an option to change the language of their website to English.
- Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project - MapBiomas The Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project (MapBiomas) generates annual land cover and land use maps from 1985 till present.
- Earth Observatory, Deforestation in Argentina's Gran Chaco Summary report of deforestation in Gran Chaco (Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia), among others based on Guyra's monthly reporting on deforestation in this important biome.
- IDH (2020) The Urgency of Action to Tackle Tropical Deforestation This report describes the urgent need to take action to reduce the deforestation driven by eight deforestation-linked commodities (palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa, coffee, rubber, pulp & paper, tropical timber) in 12 European markets and 7 producing countries.
- IUCN NL (2019) An analysis of laws on forest protection in the main soy producing countries in Latin America Study of existing laws in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and the extent to which they prevent deforestation (and conversion).
- Blonk on Life Cycle Assessment of soy Environmental footprint of soy, Life Cycle Assessment, including Land Use Change (LUC) indicator
- For data see also: Policy related info