What is the purpose of the Accountability Framework?
Worldwide, there is broad recognition of the need to address deforestation, conversion, and human rights impacts linked to agricultural and forestry supply chains. Yet, supply chains and sustainability issues are complex, and the path forward is not always clear.
The Accountability Framework helps companies and other organisations navigate this complexity and take effective action towards ethical supply chains. The Framework offers:
- Consensus-based guidelines – all in one place: The Accountability Framework is grounded in recognised international norms on environmental protection and human rights. It integrates these norms with current best practices and market expectations into a single consensus-based resource for effective action. This provides users with greater confidence to act.
- A common approach for your whole organisation: The Framework applies to all agricultural and forestry commodities worldwide. It also addresses all stages of the supply chain, from production to retail. This enables you to pursue a holistic approach to sustainability across your entire business or program scope.
- Details when you need them: When implementing ethical supply chains, details matter. The Framework provides clear definitions and nuanced guidance that go beyond generalities to guide practical and effective action.
- Aligned tools and resources for every need: More than 70 sustainability tools, resources, and initiatives have aligned with the Accountability Framework. These address a wide range of contexts and needs, from goal-setting to monitoring and reporting. Companies can use these resources to implement ethical supply chains in an aligned manner, under the global 'umbrella' of the Accountability Framework.
Why companies should use the Framework
The Accountability Framework provides a consensus-based roadmap for companies to set goals, take action, and report on progress towards addressing deforestation, ecosystem conversion, and human rights in their supply chains. By following the Framework, companies can be confident that they are applying good practices and meeting stakeholder and market expectations. Get started using the Framework:
Why other organisations should use the Framework
The Accountability Framework provides a common starting-point for organisations and initiatives working to scale-up ethical supply chains. It helps such groups to avoid 'reinventing the wheel' and to proceed with confidence that their approaches will incorporate current best practices and market and stakeholder expectations. The Framework also provides a basis for sustainability initiatives to align with one another so that their impacts complement and multiply one another. Get started using the Framework: