Purpose & Summary

This document provides guidance on how companies should collaborate with other stakeholders in the landscapes, jurisdictions, and sectors in which they operate to implement their commitments effectively. It also suggests specific ways for companies to pursue such collaboration. The purpose of this collaboration is to address social and environmental issues that are beyond companies’ full control and to contribute to broader and longer-lasting positive impact. Specifically, such collaboration can help companies be better able to:

• Fulfil their commitments
• Demonstrate progress and compliance related to their commitments
• Reduce legal, regulatory, and reputational risk related to deforestation, conversion, and human rights violations occurring outside but in the vicinity of their operations and sourcing areas
• Support larger-scale and longer-term social and environmental improvements on the ground
• Ensure that company efforts to address deforestation, conversion, and human rights violations in their operations and supply chains do not displace these impacts to other areas