Our Sustainable Soy Policy and Action Plan

As outlined in Cargill’s global Policy on Forests, we are committed to transforming our supply chains to be deforestation- and conversion-free by 2030. While we source soy from all of the major growing regions in the world, we are focused on South America as the highest-priority region for improving soy sustainability because it is home to vital landscapes that must be protected, such as the Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco biomes (see Transparency for more details), as well as being an area of growing demand for soy.

Our policy and commitment

Working together with trusted advisors and local stakeholders, we developed our Policy on Sustainable Soy – South American Origins, which captures our commitment to a transparent and sustainable South American soy supply chain. We commit to:

• Transform our supply chain to be deforestation free while protecting native vegetation.
• Promote responsible production, which benefits farmers and surrounding communities.
• Respect and uphold the rights of workers, indigenous peoples and communities.
• Uphold high standards of transparency through reporting of key metrics, progress and grievances. Each year, we publish a mid-year update and a year-end review; see details in the latest Sustainable Soy Progress Report. 

This policy and commitment are in line with our Human Rights Commitment. We treat people with dignity and respect, provide equitable, safe and supportive workplaces, take action to promote human rights in our supply chains and expect our suppliers to do the same, as described in our Supplier Code of Conduct.

Our action plan

Our South American Soy Action Plan, in support of our Sustainable Soy Policy, is an important component of the comprehensive actions we are taking across our supply chains to increase transparency and advance our sustainability commitments.

Core concepts:

The actions outlined in the plan are designed around three core concepts:

• Complete a comprehensive risk assessment of our soy supply chains direct and indirect suppliers (see Transparency for details about our risk assessment methodology).

• Prioritize resources where we can have the greatest impact.
• Focus on long-term, sector- and landscape-wide transformation to ensure both sustainability values and agricultural development simultaneously thrive.

Plan elements:

We work with soy farmers at all levels of production and collaborate with industry, government and NGO partners to improve the sustainability of soy production. Our action plan includes the following elements: