Methodology

The methodology was developed in collaboration with Preferred by Nature. Preferred by Nature (formerly known as NEPCon) is an international non-profit organisation working with farmers, foresters, businesses, NGOs and governments to support better land management and business practices that benefit people, nature and the climate in more than 100 countries. For nearly 30 years, the organisation has worked to develop practical solutions to drive positive impacts in production landscapes and supply chains through innovative projects, capacity building and sustainability services.

In order to identify how the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production contributes to the SDGs, the steps listed below were applied. The materials used in the methodology were 1) the 17 goals, 169 targets, and 244 indicators derived from the SDGs, and 2) the indicators derived from the 5 Principles of the RTRS Standard. The steps of the methodology were as follows:

Step 1. Generate keywords for each SDG indicator.

Step 2. The keywords created in step 1 are mapped to the RTRS indicators.

Step 3. The SDG indicators and RTRS indicators which shared the same keywords are identified.

More specifically, in the first step of the methodology all the SDG indicators were mapped to a specific keyword containing the essence of that indicator (see examples in Table 1). In total, 89 keywords were generated for the 244 SDG indicators. The indicators which address responsibilities and policies of governments were eliminated in this process, as this report is addressed to the business sector.

Table 1. Examples of SDG indicators and the generated keywords

SDGs Indicators

16.7.2 Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group Inclusive decision-making

16.10.1 Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months

Keyword

Human rights

The 89 keywords were then applied to the RTRS indicators, as listed in the 4.0 version of the Standard7 published in 2021. In the case that there was more than one keyword that could be associated with an RTRS indicator, all the keywords were used. Table 2 shows such an example.

Table 2. Example of an RTRS indicator and its matching keywords

RTRS Indicators

2.5.7 Salaried workers have all entitlements and protection in national law and practice with respect to maternity. Workers taking maternity leave are entitled to return to their employment on the same terms and conditions that applied to them prior to taking leave and they are not subject to any discrimination, loss of seniority or deductions of wages. Decent employment Reproductive health care

For the RTRS indicators which had no matching keywords, SDG targets which share similar content were used (Table 3).

Table 3. Example of matching an RTRS indicator and its matching SDG target

Keyword 1 Keyword 2

RTRS Indicators

2.5.6 Overtime work at all times is voluntary and paid according to legal or sector standards. In case overtime work is needed, workers receive timely notification. Workers are entitled to at least one day off following every six consecutive days of work.

Keywords SDGs target 1 SDGs target 2

No match 8.5 8.8

Finally, the matched SDG indicators or SDG targets were listed for each RTRS indicator. Table 4 shows an example where two RTRS Indicators are listed alongside their corresponding SDGs. From this table, the connection between the RTRS and the SDGs is completely clear.

Table 4. Examples of matching RTRS indicators, SDG targets and SDG indicators

RTRS Indicators

2.5.4 If additional overtime hours are necessary, the following conditions are met:

a) It only occurs for limited periods of time (e.g. peak harvest, planting). b) Where there is a trade union or representative organization the overtime conditions are negotiated and agreed with that organization. c) Where there is no trade union or representative organization agreement the average working hours in the two-month period after the start of the exceptional period still do not exceed 60 hours per week.

4.5.2 There is a plan, which is being implemented and monitored to ensure that the native vegetation and wildlife are being maintained.

SDGs indicator 1 SDGs indicator 2 SDGs target 1 SDGs target 2

8.5 8.8

15.2.1 6.6.1 - -