European-based members of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition have signed a statement from 11 consumer goods companies entitled, Business leaders support bold EU actions to eliminate imported deforestation.
The statement, signed on 18 May 2021, calls for the EU (European Union) to adopt strong legislation to stop imported deforestation within the European market.
It intends to send a strong message to suppliers and traders, set the bar for procurement policies, and facilitate greater collaboration between importing and producing countries.
Eight of the 11 signatories are members of the CGF and the Forest Positive Coalition, including Carrefour, Danone, Jerónimo Martins, METRO AG, Nestlé, Reckitt, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Government and stakeholder engagement is one of the coalition’s four actions, the CGF added.
Government Engagement
Currently, the coalition is focusing on its government engagement efforts in Brazil, China, the European Union and Indonesia.
The coalition expects to strengthen its efforts by working with governments to create enabling environments for forest-positive policies and collaborating with NGOs to create awareness and implement participatory strategies.
The Forest Positive Coalition was formed in 2020 by The Consumer Goods Forum and brings together 20 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers, with a combined market value of around $2 trillion, to take collective action to remove deforestation, forest conversion, and degradation from key commodity supply chains.
Recently, the coalition launched a new report, Taking Root: Embarking on the Forest Positive Journey, which illustrates its journey in leading cross-sector efforts in ending commodity-driven deforestation.
The report outlines the coalition's collective approach to driving transformation in the production and supply of four key commodities - palm oil, soy, paper, pulp and fibre-based packaging, and beef, and outlines the efforts it has made in the months since its launch at New York Climate Week last year.
