AFi Explainer: Assessing Compliance at the Production Unit Level
17 June 2024
This explainer summarises what it means to assess compliance at the production unit level, why this is the most appropriate approach, and how companies can implement it in their supply chains.
The AFi has released a new explanatory note on assessing compliance at the production unit level. It explains that companies should assess compliance with their policies, commitments, and other obligations at the level of the entire farm, plantation, ranch, or forest management unit.
The explainer covers:
- What it means to assess compliance at the production unit level
- Rationale for assessing compliance at the production unit level
- Why companies should not assess compliance at the field (sub-farm) level
- How to ensure that compliance is assessed at the correct scale
- Relation to other laws, standards, and protocols
Additionally, the Consumer Goods Forum has published an article by AFi Director Jeff Milder on this same topic. The article highlights the concerning approach of some companies to assess and report deforestation-free status at the field level. He writes that when commodity buyers use this approach, they may be complicit in facilitating continued deforestation by their suppliers. They also risk making false or misleading claims about their products. The article explains how companies can avoid these pitfalls by adhering to long-standing conventions in supply chain management and following the Accountability Framework.