CDP-2017-forests-report
Seventeen years ago, CDP set out to transform capital markets by making environmental disclosure and risk management a new business norm.
Today, there is increasing evidence that awareness, disclosure and management of environmental risk is becoming mainstream around the world.
The Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and evolving market forces—from shareholder and customer requirements to the rapidly improving cost curves of clean technology—are moving us towards a tipping point that will help protect us from climate change, water insecurity and the effects of deforestation. To reach that point we need critical shifts in financial capital and policy, as well as strong leadership, innovation, measurement, transparency and accountability
By encouraging companies to disclose standardized data regarding deforestation risks, CDP’s forests program will empower investors to undertake strategic engagement and portfolio allocation decisions to reduce these risks and support the ecosystems on which we rely.
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Deforestation/CDP/CDP-2017-forests-report.pdf'
Salim Group companies in Borneo ... 11 April 2018
A report by AidEnvironment. Palm oil sustainability assessment of Salim-related companies in Borneo peat forests. Intervention is urgently needed to stop the destruction of Sintang’s Ketungau peat forest, protect the remaining intact peat forests and restore ecosystem services for the benefit of the biodiversity, local communities and Indonesia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and uphold its governing laws. As a matter of urgency, the Salim Group, its joint venture partners, financiers and investors, along with national government authorities and its current and potential future palm oil buyers, need to take the following actions across the globe.
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Products/PalmOil/Salim-Peat-Report-180409.pdf'
Environmental Impact and Trade
Trade a driver of Brazilian deforestation ... Trade and global consumption of Brazilian beef and soybeans is increasingly driving Brazilian deforestation.
HCS Convergence Agreement of November 2016 This HCS Convergence Agreement is the outcome of discussions conducted by the High Carbon Stock (HCS) Convergence Working Group (the Group) from October 2015 through November 2016. The Group members committed to work together to develop a single, coherent set of rules for implementation of companies’ commitments to “no deforestation” in their palm oil operations and supply chains. The group focused on developing a single HCS methodology for application to oil palm plantations in fragmented landscapes in moist tropical forest. The Group encourages the HCSA Steering Group to consider adoption of this agreement for application to other commodities, including the possible adaptation and application to other biomes.
The following organizations participated in the Group process and are endorsing this Agreement. They were supported in this process by the chairs of the HCSA Steering Group and the HCS+ Science Study.1
Asian Agri
Cargill
Forest Peoples Programme
Golden Agri-Resources
Greenpeace
IOI
KLK
Musim Mas
Rainforest Action Network
Sime Darby
TFT
Unilever
Union of Concerned Scientists
Wilmar International
WWF
Jim Leape chaired, with process assistance from Meridian Institute and technical assistance from Proforest
HCS-Approach-Toolkit-Full-version
The question, however, is how plantation companies and farmers can
ensure they are not contributing to tropical deforestation with new
plantations in order to grow the food, fuel, feed and fibre we need
for our growing population. How can we differentiate degraded land
potentially suitable for establishing plantations and crops from forest
areas that need to be protected? Current approaches such as the
High Conservation Value process, greenhouse gas emissions
monitoring, participatory mapping and respect for communities’
rights to land and to give or withhold their Free Prior and Informed
Consent (FPIC) may slow deforestation and secure peoples’ livelihoods,
but they have not stopped all forest clearance. These approaches
remain valuable, but they do not delineate all areas of natural forest
for which protection is sought, and thus do not provide sufficient
guidance for implementing ‘No Deforestation’ policy commitments.
There is also a clear need for a practical definition of ‘natural forest’
which can be used in concessions.
In response to this challenge and following a bold commitment to
‘No Deforestation’, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) in collaboration
with Greenpeace and TFT have pioneered a methodology to identify
natural forest areas, called the High Carbon Stock Approach. From
2010-2014, processes to define potentially viable areas of tropical
forest as well as degraded lands were trialled in Indonesia and
Liberia, combining carbon storage, biodiversity conservation and
local community rights and livelihoods. In August 2014, a multistakeholder
HCS Approach Steering Group was formed to oversee
the further development of the methodology and its use in the field.
To standardise and make it available to all practitioners who need it,
the Steering Group has published here the HCS methodology as Version
One of the HCS Approach Toolkit, to be used in further trials and for
broader consultation. We will periodically issue updates to the toolkit,
as well as new chapters covering how to conserve, restore and monitor
HCS forests. We are very much seeking feedback on the approach,
and welcome input to the Steering Group on the implementation of it
across different tropical regions in order to strengthen and refine the
methodology. The HCS Approach Steering Group is developing a set of
‘Quality Assurance’ requirements for users, and in the interim we ask
HCS Approach practitioners to apply the methodology as it is laid out in
the toolkit.
To those who will be using the HCS Approach, it is important to note
that identifying HCS forests is only one of several critical aspects of land
use planning in forest landscapes. Lands vital to local communities,
High Conservation Value (HCV) areas and peatlands must also be
protected. During the HCS process and in particular the final phase
of the methodology, the HCS Approach integrates with these
other categories of land use. It therefore relies on high quality
HCV assessments, participatory mapping, respect for customary
rights and FPIC to arrive at a proposed conservation area plan.
In closing, we would like to thank the authors and reviewers who have
contributed to this toolkit, and all those who share our vision of the
HCS Approach and its contribution to ending deforestation.
Marcus Colchester
Forest Peoples Programme
Aida Greenbury
Asia Pulp and Paper
Peter Heng
Golden Agri-Resources
Scott Poynton
TFT
Grant Rosoman
Greenpeace
Editorial Committee of the HCS Toolkit, on behalf of the HCS Approach
Steering Group
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Deforestation/HCS/HCS-Approach-Toolkit-Full-version.pdf'
GreenPeace Report - Eating Up the Amazon ... April 2006
THE SCENE:
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth. It is home to nearly 10% of the world’s mammals1 and a staggering 15% of the world’s known land-based plant species, with as many as 300 species of tree in a single hectare.2 The region is also home to about 220,000 people from 180 different indigenous nations3 who live deep in the rainforest, along with many more traditional forestdependent communities. The rainforest provides these people with everything from food and shelter to tools and medicines, and plays a crucial role in the spiritual life of indigenous peoples. All this is threatened by deforestation and related crimes, committed for the sake of the profits to be made from agricultural commodities such as soya.
THE CRIME:
Since Brazil’s President Lula da Silva came to power in January 2003, nearly 70,000km2 of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed.4 Between August 2003 and August 2004, 27,200km2 – an area the size of Belgium – was lost. Three-quarters of this destruction was illegal.5 That’s an area 10km long by 7.5km wide lost every day. More than 3km2 every hour. A football pitch every eight seconds.6 In 2004–05 around 1.2 million hectares of soya (5% of the national total) was planted in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.7 It is well documented that slave labour is used to clear forest for agriculture. Mato Grosso and Pará – the two Amazon states at the leading edge of the soya frontier – are responsible for more than half of all the slaves reported in Brazil.8 Between 2003 and 2004, the Brazilian Government reported nearly 8,700 slaves in the two states. Up to 75% of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation – with the majority coming from the clearing and burning of the Amazon rainforest.9 Amazingly, relative to its industrialised size, Brazil is the world’s fourth largest climate polluter.
THE CRIMINALS:
Three US-based agricultural commodities giants – Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge and Cargill – are responsible for about 60% of the total financing of soya production in Brazil. Together, these three companies also control more than three-quarters of the soya crushing capacity in Europe that supplies soya meal and oil to the animal feed market.10 With an estimated 13 silos and an illegal port facility already built into the Amazon rainforest, Cargill is leading soya’s invasion of the region – spurring the incursion of illegal farms and building infrastructure to deliver Amazon soya to global markets. Bunge and ADM are following Cargill’s lead, with an estimated six and four silos respectively in the Amazon.11
PARTNERS IN CRIME:
80% of the world’s soya production is fed to the livestock industry.12 Spiralling demand for soya animal feed from European agribusiness is driving the expansion of the agricultural frontier into the Amazon rainforest. Europe buys half the soya exported from the Amazon state of Mato Grosso, where 90% of rainforest soya is grown. Meat reared on rainforest soya finds its way onto supermarket shelves and fast food counters across Europe.
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Deforestation/GreenPeace/GreenPeace-eating-up-the-amazon.pdf'
Who-Watches-the-Watchmen-2015
A 24 page report report of the Environmental-Investigation-Agency-UK which starts saying 'The harm inflicted on people and the environment by the oil palm industry is a global scandal. Overwhelming evidence in the past two decades has shown the role it is playing in the destruction of biodiversity, driving climate change and the abuse of indigenous and community rights.'
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Agriculture/PalmOil/Environmental-Investigation-Agency-UK-Who-Watches-the-Watchmen-2015.pdf'
WHAT IS THE RSPO?
The RSPO is a certification scheme founded in 2004 by plantation companies and NGOs in response to extensive evidence that the production of palm oil was driving deforestation, biodiversity loss and human rights abuses. It is intended to provide buyers of palm oil with reassurance that the product they are using has been produced “sustainably”.
REDD ... Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
• Global increase, predominantly in urban areas, to 8.2 billion in 2030
• Largest increases in population in Africa (+235 million) and Asia & Pacific (+255 million)
• Stabilized population level of 8 to 10 billion after 2050 due to rising living standards, urbanization, and declining birth rates
Economic growth
• Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and China are anticipated to continue growing over the next ten years at 8% per annum (OECD/FAO, 2012)
• Developing world will account for more than half of global economic growth throughout 2012/14 (World Bank, 2012)
Agricultural commodities
• Overall, 70% increase in demand for food products by 2050 (FAO, 2009)
Oil seeds
• 23% expansion of oil seed production between 2011–2020 (OECD/FAO, 2011)
• Two-thirds of global expansion is expected to occur in the developing world
• Developing countries (particularly Asia), will likely continue to dominate the increase in vegetable oil (and oilseed meal) consumption (OECD/FAO, 2011)
Oil palm
• 45% rise in palm oil output (mainly by Indonesia and Malaysia)(OECD/FAO 2011)
Meat
• 85% increase in the volume of meat produced by 2050 (FAO, 2009)
• Developing countries will account for about 78% of the additional output, mainly in Latin America (Brazil)
• Growth in demand from large economies in Asia, Latin America and oil exporting countries (OECD/FAO 2011)
Biofuels
• Global production expected to increase rapidly over the next ten years
• Ethanol increasing from 100 to 160 billion litres and biodiesel from 20 to 42 billion litres from 2010 to 2020 (OECD/FAO, 2011)
Wood products (Pulp, Paper and sawlogs)
• Annual potential sustainable production capacity of plantations will reach in 2020 around 1.8 billion cubic meters per year
• More than 80% of this potential is located in the tropics and other countries in southern hemisphere
• Brazil, China and Russia will take over as world leaders with India and Vietnam increasing their relative market importance of the international trade of wood products by 2020 (FAO Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products, 2007)
• International trade represents only 3.5% of the total global roundwood production (Rademaekers et al., 2010), thus domestic consumption, domestic fuel wood use and illegal logging are not represented in trade statistics
Fuel wood/Charcoal
• People reliant on traditional biomass use globally will decrease by 175 million between 2008 and 2030
• 34% increase in fuel wood consumption from 2000–2020 for Sub-Saharan Africa (FAO, 2009)
Mining
• Projected to increase due to population growth and economic development
• Developing countries and emerging markets will see greatest supply and demand expansion (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2012)
IOI ... a Malaysian palm oil producer, refiner and trader
IOI is a Malaysian palm oil producer, refiner and trader, whose business segments include palm oil plantations, refineries, related manufacturing activities, and real estate.
IOI’s main businesses are undertaken by IOI Corporation (IOI:MK) in the upstream and downstream palm oil business and IOI Properties Group Bhd in the real estate business.
Both segments are publicly listed as separate entities on Bursa Malaysia. IOI’s current market cap is $7.2 billion1, positioning the company among the largest in the sector.
IoI Statement on Amnesty International Report “The Great Palm Oil Scandal” 02/12/2016, Corporate Communications
One of the principles of our Sustainable Palm Oil Policy (SPOP) is based on building traceable supply chains such that all suppliers are also in compliance with our commitments as contained in our Policy on Environmental Management, Human Rights and Workplace as well as Community Development and Social Impact. Respecting the rights of all workers is one of the key commitments of IOI’s SPOP.
Specifically, IOI Group is committed: To eliminate all forms of illegal, forced, bonded, compulsory or child labor and in particular, follow responsible recruitment practices. We view with deep concern the findings in the Amnesty International Report relating to alleged labor abuses on plantations owned by certain companies. As the companies mentioned in the report are part of our supply chain through our trading partners, we are monitoring the situation closely and will take the appropriate actions. These actions involve asking our trading partners to share with us their action plans as well as monitoring the progress of implementation of their action plans.
We understand that labor issues are complex and require collaboration among the industry members and other stakeholders to resolve. We are committed to using our voice and influence to address this matter and to working together with relevant stakeholders for a constructive approach to improve the issues at hand.
Dr. Surina Ismail Group Head of Sustainability
Deforestation related to palm oil ... How Mondelez translates supply chains policy into business success
Innovation Forum Webinar ... 24 November 2016
Jonathan Horrell and Ian Welsh
Commodity to consumer products is a complex chain. Jonathan Horrell from Mondelez talks with Innovation Forum's Ian Welsh about what a good palm oil action plan should look like and how to use it to implement progress on the ground, why 'sustainability' goals need to be fully integrated into all business functions, the pros and cons of cross-sector collaboration initiatives such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and why brands take consumer trust for granted at their peril
Nestle
PepsiCo
Unilever
Deforestation
Progress or not?
Nestle, PepsiCo, and other big corporations promised to protect forests. Who’s following through?
Deforestation
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) ... Completely Worthless, or Just Mostly Worthless?
Chain Reaction Research ... CRR-IOI-suspension-analysis-May-2016
Progress (or lack of) towards accountability in the palm oil supply chain in South East Asia
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Initiatives/CRR/CRR-IOI-suspension-analysis-May-2016.pdf'
CDP-2017-forests-report
Seventeen years ago, CDP set out to transform capital markets by making environmental disclosure and risk management a new business norm.
Today, there is increasing evidence that awareness, disclosure and management of environmental risk is becoming mainstream around the world.
The Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and evolving market forces—from shareholder and customer requirements to the rapidly improving cost curves of clean technology—are moving us towards a tipping point that will help protect us from climate change, water insecurity and the effects of deforestation. To reach that point we need critical shifts in financial capital and policy, as well as strong leadership, innovation, measurement, transparency and accountability
By encouraging companies to disclose standardized data regarding deforestation risks, CDP’s forests program will empower investors to undertake strategic engagement and portfolio allocation decisions to reduce these risks and support the ecosystems on which we rely.
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Deforestation/CDP/CDP-2017-forests-report.pdf'
Palm oil sustainability assessment of Salim-related companies in Borneo peat forests (PDF) Aidenvironment . 11 April 2018.
Intervention is urgently needed to stop the destruction of Sintang’s Ketungau peat forest, protect the remaining intact peat forests and restore ecosystem services for the benefit of the biodiversity, local communities and Indonesia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and uphold its governing laws. As a matter of urgency, the Salim Group, its joint venture partners, financiers and investors, along with national government authorities and its current and potential future palm oil buyers, need to take the following actions across the globe.
'http://truevaluemetrics.org/DBpdfs/Deforestation/CDP/CDP-2017-forests-report.pdf'
