Soft Commodities Forum Progress Report, December 2021

The Soft Commodities Forum (SCF) brings together leading global agribusiness to find collective solutions to some of the most pressing sustainability challenges in their value chain. Working to eliminate soy-driven deforestation and conversion in the Brazilian Cerrado, the group published their sixth progress report in December 2021, to ensure better, more consistent communication with key stakeholders.

In this report, the six SCF members reaffirm their commitments to increase the transparency and traceability of their Cerrado-sourced soy supply chains, to track sourcing where there are the highest risks of deforestation and conversion. 

Tackling deforestation and conversion risks begins with a transparent and credible picture of where soy comes from. By tracing soy all the way down to the farm, and therefore being able to identify whether it is linked to deforestation, conversion, or other issues at farm level, SCF members can focus their efforts where they matter most, and measure progress towards the elimination of soy-driven conversion and deforestation in the Cerrado.

In this context, and building upon the SCF’s expanded scope announced in June 2021, members developed a common methodology to report soy verified to be deforestation- and conversion-free in the SCF 61 focus municipalities, for which progress will be reported as of 2022, providing further accountability to soy value chain stakeholders.

On supply chain traceability, the vast majority of SCF members are now able to track 100% of their soy volumes back to the farms from which they source directly. All companies have also made progress on improving transparency of their indirect sources through the mapping of their first point of aggregation. The next step for 2022 will be building a collaborative relationship with these intermediaries, steering the implementation of traceability systems to monitor their own suppliers. Moreover, with the newly established methodology to report on soy sourced by joint venture partners, SCF members are paving the way to provide accountability for the entire soy supply chain.

Access the new SCF Reporting digital platform here.

Download the SCF progress report executive summary, December 2021: