More companies must make and implement zero-deforestation supply chain commitments to significantly reduce deforestation and protect diverse ecosystems, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge, Boston University, ETH Zurich and New York University.

Corporate pledges not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006 have reduced tree clearance in the Brazilian Amazon by just 1.6% between 2006 and 2015. 

This equates to a protected area of 2,300 km2 in the Amazon rainforest.

The findings, made by tracing traders’ soy supplies back to their source, are published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. 

The researchers also discovered that in the Cerrado, Brazil’s tropical savannah, zero-deforestation commitments have not been adopted effectively – leaving over 50% of soy-suitable forests and their biodiversity without protection.

Demand for soy rises
Brazil has the largest remaining tropical forests, which are rapidly being cleared to rear cattle and grow crops, including soybean. Demand for soy is surging worldwide, and an estimated 4,800 km2 of rainforest is removed each year to grow soybeans.

Most soy is consumed indirectly by humans: soybean is widely used as feed for factory-farmed chickens, pigs, fish and cattle. It also accounts for around 27% of global vegetable oil production, and as a complete protein source, it often forms a key part of vegetarian and vegan diets.

By 2021, at least 94 companies had adopted zero-deforestation commitments – pledging to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. But the study revealed that many of these commitments are not put into practice.

Commitments are “lagging”
According to researchers, the adoption of zero-deforestation commitments is lagging among small and medium-sized food companies.

“Zero-deforestation pledges are a great first step, but they need to be implemented to affect forests – and right now, it’s mainly the bigger companies that have the resources to do this,” says Rachael Garrett, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, a joint senior author of the report.

“If soybean traders implemented their global commitments for zero-deforestation production, current levels of forest clearance in Brazil could be reduced by around 40%.”

Deforestation is the second largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuel use. It also causes the loss of diverse animal and plant life, threatens the livelihoods of indigenous groups, and increases inequality and conflict.

Difficult ingredients to monitor 
The researchers say that the supply chains of other food products, including cattle, oil palm and cocoa, are more complex than soy, making them even more challenging to monitor.

“If supply chain policies intend to contribute to the task of tackling deforestation in Brazil, it’s crucial to expand zero-deforestation supply chain policies beyond soy,” explains Garrett, who is also professor of Environmental Policy at ETH Zurich.

A “soy moratorium” was the first voluntary zero-deforestation commitment in the tropics – by signing it, companies agreed not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006. But while the commitment was implemented in the Brazilian Amazon, most Brazilian soy is made in the Cerrado – which is rich in biodiversity.

The researchers believe their findings suggest private sector efforts are not enough to halt deforestation: supportive political leadership is also vital to conservation efforts.

“Supply chain governance should not be a substitute for state-led forest policies, which are critical to enabling zero deforestation monitoring and enforcement, and have better potential to cover different crops, land users and regions,” Garrett elaborates.

In 2021, the COP26 Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use committed to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. It was signed by over 100 countries, representing 85% of global forests.

Last month, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that food and farming firms at the highest level may stand to lose up to a quarter of their shareholder value by 2030 if they fall short in their efforts to halt deforestation. 

Meanwhile, recent analysis has warned that major agriculture companies committed to net zero could have little to no chance of meeting their climate commitments due to a lack of action on deforestation. Responding to the escalating meta crisis, the CEOs of Nestlé and Unilever publicly pledged to make supply chains deforestation-free.