The AFi invites stakeholders to provide input on proposed updates to the Accountability Framework. The updates address topics related to supply chain management, monitoring, verification, and fulfilment of responsible supply chain commitments and targets.
The Accountability Framework was first published in 2019 as a roadmap for achieving agricultural and forestry supply chains that are protective of forests, other natural ecosystems, and human rights. Since then, hundreds of companies have used the Framework to set goals, take action, and report progress towards responsible supply chains. Thousands more use guidelines, metrics, standards, tools, and standards that have aligned with the Framework.
The AFi is in the process of revising the Accountability Framework to continue to serve as an up-to-date global reference for responsible supply chains. This includes adding detail on key topics where companies and other stakeholders seek additional clarity. It also includes incorporating recent learnings and innovations on good practices, as well as new policy and regulatory developments.
The updated guidance will better support companies and other stakeholders in taking effective and aligned action. It will also help them to address a multiple market, stakeholder, and regulatory mandates in an integrated manner.
Consultation process and timeline
The public consultation is open from 14 January through 14 March 2025. To participate, please download the consultation brief to learn about the topics included in the consultation. The brief describes the updates and additions to the Accountability Framework that are under consideration. It also presents context for each topic and how the potential updates build upon current AFi guidance on each topic. Feedback is being collected through an online survey. For additional information, watch recordings of AFi webinars where an overview of the consultation and each of the topics was presented.
After the close of the consultation period, the AFi Coalition and secretariat will incorporate stakeholder feedback into a set of revised Accountability Framework Operational Guidance documents.
Topics addressed
The public consultation will focus on four sets of topics, all of which are common focus areas for companies working to achieve responsible supply chains:
Supply chain traceability, assessment, and control
The Framework updates will provide additional detail on each of the four forms of traceability and control addressed in the Accountability Framework:
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production unit level traceability and control
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area level traceability and control
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use of certification
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supplier control systems
Supply chain management
The proposed updates include additional detail on responsible procurement, determining appropriate responses to supply chain non-compliance, pathways back to compliance for producers with post-cutoff date deforestation or conversion, and responsible disengagement for persistently non-compliant suppliers.
Verification
This topic addresses different use cases for verification and good practices to fulfil each use case. This includes appropriate uses of and good practices for first-, second-, and third-party verification.
Targets and progress
This topic addresses improvement pathways for product volumes that are difficult to trace, such as derivatives and commodity volumes embedded in animal feed. It also includes additional detail on setting, pursuing, and fulfilling targets to support high ambition and sustained progress.
Take part in the consultation
Questions
For questions about the consultation or to provide feedback via email, contact the AFi secretariat at: consultation@accountability-framework.org.