Time for Transparency: Deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains
21 May 2024
The joint AFi-CDP report features analysis of corporate disclosures on deforestation and conversion in commodity supply chains.
New data released by The Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) and CDP provide a view of companies’ current capacity to understand, control, and disclose on deforestation and ecosystem conversion associated with their operations and supply chains.
2023 was the first year companies disclosed through the CDP forests questionnaire on their methods and progress towards deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains in a standardised format through CDP using metrics developed in partnership with the AFi.
881 companies disclosed on at least one commodity supply chain, for a total of 1,498 commodity-specific disclosures across seven high-risk commodities. Half of the companies (445) responded to questions about the percentage of their supply chains that were deforestation- and/or conversion-free, although only 186 provided comprehensive and high-quality information for at least one supply chain. Of the companies that submitted a high-quality disclosure, 64 reported achieving at least one 100% deforestation- and/or conversion-free commodity supply chain.
Companies disclosed a range of methods for identifying deforestation- or conversion-free volumes, including the use of certification, risk assessments, and monitoring of production units. However, many companies were not able to sufficiently explain their methodologies, or relied on approaches that may not provide sufficient assurance of deforestation- or conversion-free volumes.