New AFi guidance on supply chain traceability, assessment, and control
15 septiembre 2026
See how companies can trace materials, assess risks, show compliance, and take action.
Today the Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) released its new Operational Guidance on Supply Chain Traceability, Assessment, and Control, designed for companies that produce, source, or finance agricultural or forestry commodities.
As expectations for responsible supply chains evolve, companies need credible ways to understand where the raw materials in their products originate. This new resource explains how companies can trace materials through supply chains, assess environmental and social risks (such as deforestation, ecosystem conversion, and human rights abuses), determine compliance with responsible sourcing policies, and take action to address gaps where needed.
“Hundreds of companies have used the Accountability Framework to set commitments to protect forests, natural ecosystems, and human rights in their supply chains,” said AFi Director Jeff Milder. “This new guidance helps turn those commitments into action, with practical approaches to effective supply chain control across different commodities and sourcing contexts.”
Strengthening supply chain traceability
The ability to trace materials from their origins through supply chains is essential for companies looking to address their climate, nature, and human rights impacts.
The new guidance provides detail on how companies can design and strengthen their traceability systems. It explains how supply chain mapping, chain of custody, and information transfer systems work together to enable effective traceability as the foundation for supply chain control. It also explains several options for companies to strengthen traceability over time where it is not yet adequate.
Clarifying how to assess and demonstrate compliance
Driven by regulatory requirements as well as voluntary commitments, achieving compliance with environmental and human rights policies is a top priority for most companies. The Operational Guidance clarifies what is required to assess and demonstrate compliance with a high degree of confidence. This requires having reliable evidence about product origins, as well as environmental and social compliance in those origins, to substantiate compliance determinations and withstand scrutiny.
The guidance also clarifies the purposes, characteristics, and differences among risk assessment, performance assessment, and compliance assessment. For instance, risk assessment alone isn’t enough to determine compliance but can provide valuable insight into risks both within and beyond a company’s current sourcing footprint. This clarity supports companies in applying each method appropriately to understand their supply chain, prioritise action, and demonstrate and report outcomes.
As with the entire Accountability Framework, the guidance integrates both environmental and human rights considerations, recognising that effective supply chain control requires addressing both.
Achieving supply chain control in multiple ways
While supply chain control itself is a core requirement for companies to manage supply chain risk and compliance, there are several different ways to achieve this control. The guidance outlines four approaches to supply chain control, with details on how to implement each:
- Production unit level control implemented by the buyer
- Sourcing area level control implemented by the buyer
- Control through certification systems
- Control through supplier control systems
Based on the guidance, companies can choose the most appropriate approach(es) for each portion of their supply chain and work to ensure that they are implemented effectively. This includes accurate monitoring at the production unit or sourcing area level as well as measures to prevent irregularities in product movement and data quality. It also includes assessing the features and integrity of control systems operated by the company’s suppliers, certification programmes, or other third parties.
Get started with the Accountability Framework today
The Operational Guidance reflects the consensus of the entire AFi Coalition, and was developed in accordance with the governance of the Accountability Framework. It also reflects broader stakeholder input from the AFi’s 2025 public consultation.
Access the Operational Guidance on Supply Chain Traceability, Assessment and Control by clicking the button below.
