The Consumer Goods Forum has launched the Forest Positive Coalition of Action, incorporating 17 leading retailers, consumer goods brands and manufacturers, which has pledged to 'use its collective voice' to tackle deforestation.
The Coalition, which is co-sponsored at Consumer Goods Forum board level by Carrefour and Mars, Inc, will seek to accelerate systemic efforts to remove deforestation, forest degradation and conversion from the palm oil, soy, and paper, pulp and fibre-based packaging supply chains, and 'drive transformative change' across the industry.
Growth Driver
“We believe forest protection is a driver of economic growth, not a sacrifice to growth," commented Grant Reid, president and chief executive, Mars, Inc. "Forest protection provides healthy ecosystems and supports productive landscapes and resilient communities.
"In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, we must ensure that efforts to protect forests are part of the global response. This response requires all actors with an interest in ending deforestation and who are committed to being part of the solution to come together”.
Supplier Engagement
Among the actions pledged by the group is increased engagement with suppliers and traders to ensure that they implement Forest Positive actions across their commodity operations, as well as addressing forest conservation challenges in key production landscapes.
It will also work with governments and stakeholders 'to create an enabling environment for forest conservation', and ensure transparency and accountability through regular reporting.
Coalition members include Carrefour, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Danone, Essity, General Mills, Grupo Bimbo, Jerónimo Martins, Mars, Incorporated, Metro, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, P&G, PepsiCo, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Unilever and Walmart.
Taking Action
"We are fully committed to engaging supply chain actors, taking action on the ground and working collectively to catalyse change," said Alexandre Bompard, chairman and CEO, Carrefour. "Multi-stakeholder action is critical, particularly political engagement at the national and regional levels, as is strong support from the investment community."
The Forest Positive Coalition of Action has been launched to coincide with Climate Week 2020, with a launch event set to take place at 16.00 CET today.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
