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