Many major corporations, including a number of retailers and consumer goods brands, are falling short when it comes to providing information about their impact on deforestation, a new report by environmental non-profit CDP has claimed.
According to the study, 70% of the firms tracked by CDP have failed to provide data on their impact on the world's forests.
Forest Data
Named among those that did not disclose forest-related information over the past three years were food firms Mondelez International, Kerry Group, Ferrero, Oetker-Gruppe and Hormel Foods.
A number of retailers were also named in the report, including Auchan Holding, Rewe Group and Walgreens Boots Alliance.
All of the firms named use one or more of the following commodities in their production: timber, palm oil, soy and cattle, each of which can have an impact on deforestation, according to CDP.
“The silence is deafening when it comes to the corporate response to deforestation," commented Morgan Gillespy, global director of forests at CDP. "For too long corporations have ignored the impacts of their supply chains on the world’s forests and have not taken seriously the risks this poses – both to their business and the world."
Positive Steps
At the same time, CDP's report found that there are some firms that are 'leading the way' in terms of engagement with their suppliers on the protection of forests, including beauty firm L'Oréal and Nivea maker Beiersdorf AG.
Both firms are leading on the sustainable sourcing of palm oil, the CDP said.
'To encourage its suppliers to manage their forest footprint, L'Oréal has developed its Sustainable Palm Index, to assess suppliers’ commitments and achievements in fighting deforestation,' it noted.
“Our data shows companies are not doing enough to end deforestation. Meanwhile the hundreds of high-impact companies that have not disclosed through CDP and therefore not been analyzed in this report could be missing out on lucrative opportunities," Gillespy added. "They could also be sitting on a black box of risks that their investors, customers and end consumers are not aware of, but are increasingly demanding transparency on."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
