2Sustain

The UK Government Department for International Development has published a report that reveals how the supply chains of businesses involved in timber, beef, soy, palm oil, and biofuels production all contribute –both directly and indirectly –to deforestation.

Titled “Global Forest Footprints: How businesses around the world contribute to deforestation –the risks of inaction and the opportunity for change,” this 23-page document is part of the Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) Project and represents a starting point to help businesses begin to realize: a) the impact of their supply chains on forests, and b) the impact of deforestation on future earnings.

The report is loaded with facts and figures regarding deforestation. For example:

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Earlier this month, Greenpeace released a new report on the destruction of the Amazon, the world’s most important forest carbon store. “Slaughtering the Amazon” shines a spotlight on the cattle sector in the Brazilian Amazon, which according to Greenpeace, is the largest driver of deforestation in the world, responsible for one in every eight hectares destroyed globally. In addition, the report also alleges that some leather sourced from Brazil originates from illegal cattle ranches that contribute to deforestation. Naturally, a claim like that caught my eye because it raises the fundamental question that now plagues any company committed to greening its products: If you don’t control all aspects of the supply chain, how can you be sure your product is as sustainable as possible?

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