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What Cargill is doing about deforestation 

October 22, 2014

Cargill announced a new initiative to tackle deforestation in its agricultural supply chains. Here’s what the company is doing already:

  • Working with The Nature Conservancy to combat deforestation in Brazil – since 2004
  • Founding member of the Brazilian soy moratorium, a commitment not to buy soy from newly deforested areas in the Amazon -- 2006
  • Helping soy farmers comply with the Brazilian Forest Code – since 2006
  • Signed agreement with Para State government and farmers in Brazil to buy soy only from registered farms – 2014
  • Member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a multi-stakeholder group that promotes sustainable practices – since 2004
  • Achieved RSPO certification for palm plantations, refineries and 8,800 smallholders we buy from – Since 2009
  • First trading company to commit to sustainable palm-oil supply chains for customers in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - 2011
  • Signed the Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto -- 2014
  • Adopted new palm oil policy: No deforestation of high carbon stock or high conservation value land, no planting on peat regardless of depth, and respect for rights of local and indigenous people – 2014
  • Identified valuable high carbon stock forest tracts to be preserved at PT Hindoli plantation in Indonesia and committed to fund such studies for three suppliers – 2013 onward
  • Mapped palm oil supply chains down to individual mill in Malaysia with continued efforts to trace full supply chains in Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere – 2013 onward
  • Joined The Forest Trust, the international organization that helps companies build sustainable supply chains – 2014
  • Started deforestation initiative with Community Markets for Conservation and the cotton industry in Zambia – 2014

At the U.N. Climate Summit in New York, Cargill is unveiling new steps:

  • Endorsing the New York Declaration on Forests 
  • Signing the Indonesian Major Palm Oil Producers Pledge 
  • Announcing new steps to achieve 100 percent sustainable palm oil throughout its supply chains
  • Pledging practical measures to protect forests across its other agricultural supply chains around the world