EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Certification on its own has not helped companies meet their 2020 commitments to exclude deforestation from their supply chains.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to assess the effectiveness of (mainly voluntary) certification for land-based commodities as an instrument to address global deforestation, forest degradation and other ecosystem conversion and associated human rights abuses (including violations of Indigenous rights and labour rights). Ultimately the aim is to inform decision making by governments and companies on what role certification can play as a tool for cleaning up supply chains, what reforms are required and what other measures are needed to address the wider biodiversity and climate crises. Background: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that between 70% and 80% of total deforestation globally is caused by expansion for agricultural production, mainly animal farming and soya and palm plantations.1 Together with natural ecosystem conversion and degradation, deforestation is a major contributor to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis. In response, many 1
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Executive summary
companies and governments, including members of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF – a global network of major manufacturers, retailers, service providers and business associations) have made commitments to eliminate deforestation and reduce degradation. Many also looked to certification as a way to address these issues while being able to continue producing and consuming agricultural and forestry commodities. Questions answered in this report & methodology: While certification of forest and ecosystem risk commodities (FERCs) has grown globally over the past decades, deforestation and natural ecosystem destruction have continued. Does this mean that certification has failed? How effective are certification schemes at addressing these issues? What inherently limits the effectiveness of certification? Are there common themes in the performance of different certification schemes? What are the strengths and weaknesses of some of the most widely used schemes? What reforms are required, and what role could certification play in the future? What other measures are needed to address deforestation, forest degradation and ecosystem