The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Forest Positive Coalition has released guidance documents to help soy and palm oil companies in their efforts to become forest positive businesses.
The first document, entitled Guidance for Forest Positive Soy Suppliers and Traders, outlines how soy suppliers and traders can adopt and implement deforestation- and conversion-free commitments across their businesses.
The second document – Guidance for Forest Positive Palm Oil Suppliers (Own Brand Manufacturers) – details how own-brand manufacturers, supplying to retailers, can implement forest positive measures across their palm oil supply chain.
Both documents outline a list of proposed requirements, known as the Coalition’s ‘Forest Positive Approach’, developed in association with technical partner, Proforest.
‘Forest Positive Approach’
Businesses need to meet five basic requirements of the ‘Forest Positive Approach’, the CGF noted.
The first is a public commitment to implement ‘deforestation- and conversion-free’ approaches across the entire commodity business, as well as a public time-bound action plan with milestones.
Other requirements include implementation of a process for regular supplier engagement, and ensuring a mechanism to identify and respond to non-compliances/grievances.
Businesses are also required to support initiatives delivering forest positive development at landscape and sectoral level, and release regular reports against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The Forest Positive Approach has been developed by Coalition members in consultation with supply chain partners and key civil society stakeholders, the CGF added.
Besides, Coalition members are also committed to implementing this approach in their supply chains.
The guidelines in the documents will also be embedded in the CGF Soy Sourcing Guidelines and Palm Oil Sourcing Guidelines, respectively.
Read More: Commitment To End Deforestation Is Welcome, But Difficult Work Begins Now: CGF
Next year, the Coalition will also collaborate with suppliers through the Palm Oil Collaboration Group and other key platforms to align on standard supplier information.
Engagement with suppliers and traders is one of the areas of focus of the Forest Positive Coalition’s Commodity Roadmaps, and it is complementary to the management of members’ supply chains and engagement in regions and landscapes, the CGF added.
