PARIS, 29th July 2014 – The Consumer Goods Forum (“The Forum”) today announced publication of the first ever “Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines”. The new document, available publicly, is seen as another important step for the consumer goods industry that looks to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020, as outlined in The Forum’s resolution on deforestation.
Deforestation accounts for 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst the causes of deforestation are complex, it is generally acknowledged that the biggest drivers are the cultivation of soya and oil palm, logging for the production of paper and board and the rearing of cattle. All of these commodities are major ingredients in the supply chains of most consumer goods companies, and following on from the 2013 Paper, Packaging & Pulp Sourcing Guidelines and the recent Board statement on climate change, The Forum’s Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines are seen as key to helping the industry meet their 2020 deadline.
The guidelines are intended to assist companies in the development of their own policies for effectively sourcing soy, and were developed by a large set of retailers and manufacturers from within The Forum membership. As part of the development process of these guidelines, a working group benchmarked company sourcing practices, considered public procurement practices and engaged with certification organisations, NGOs and suppliers for their input and feedback. That feedback was then actively used in the creation of the final document. The guidelines will serve as a helpful and ‘live’ tool for those companies involved in sourcing soy, as the document will continue to be evaluated and updated as the landscape evolves.
Hugo Byrnes, VP Product Integrity at Royal Ahold and lead of the Sustainability Pillar's Soy Working Group said: “The publication of the ‘Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines’ is an important step forward for our industry, and it’s a testament to what can result from effective cross-sector collaboration. This isn’t just a document from The Consumer Goods Forum, it’s a document that is built on a global industry’s commitment to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020, and several stakeholders have been involved in getting it to this point. With the publication of these guidelines, our industry is now one step closer to achieving its goal”.
A webinar - registration now open - has been organised for Monday 1st September to walk interested parties through the guidelines and answer any questions. Hugo Byrnes will elaborate on:
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact The Forum’s Sustainability Secretariat at sustainability@theconsumergoodsforum.com for further information.
Download the Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines
