FOREST POSITIVE COLLECTIVE ACTION

A framework and collective call to action for the Tropical Forest Alliance community to catalyse a forest-positive future post-2020.

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ENERGIZING FOREST-POSITIVE COLLECTIVE ACTION

The Tropical Forest Alliance has worked together with its Partners to create a framework and collective call to action for the community to catalyse a forest-positive future post-2020 -- the Collective Action Agenda. The success of the Collective Action Agenda depends on all of our forest-positive collective actions. Please share yours here and energize the world's transition to deforestation-free supply chains.

WHAT IS #FORESTPOSITIVE?

Forest-Positive is about about leveraging forest-related nature-based solutions to sustainable development and climate change challenges. As part of the  Collective Action Agenda, the private and public sectors are partnering together, as well as with civil society and indigenous peoples, to launch innovative Forest-Positive solutions for deforestation-free commodity supply chains that boost economic development and improve livelihoods.

Though the concept of Forest-Positive, we are accelerating transformational change and building on what the community has learned from the last decade of action. We can achieve more together, through our collective forest-positive action. Together, we are moving from incremental to transformational change in order to ensure a sustainable future, where people and forests thrive. We all have an important role to play.  Learn more.  

WHY DO WE NEED A COLLECTIVE ACTION AGENDA?

The scale at which tropical forest loss and damage are impacting the climate and biodiversity is an immediate threat to us all. ​Approximately 45% of all tree cover loss in the period 2001-2018 was related to agricultural production, both commodity-driven deforestation and shifting agriculture.​

The known destructive impacts of forest-risk commodity supply chains prompted leading companies and the Board of the Consumer Goods Forum to commit in 2010 to eliminating deforestation from supply chains by 2020, this was followed by the NY Declaration on Forests signed in 2014. While progress has been made, it will now take more ambitious collective action to fully realize these commitments.

VISION AND AMBITION OF THE AGENDA

This forest-positive Collective Action Agenda charts a framework and an urgent call to action for what we must achieve together in the post-2020 period to achieve deforestation-free supply chains.

It maps out the critical role that each of us has to play for this to be achieved. As such, it does not absolve companies of their responsibilities or commitments. On the contrary, it expects they deepen engagement to achieve their own commitments and work beyond their own individual sourcing. ​It is an invitation to all sectors to engage in the intentional collective actions and collaboration that will be needed to achieve the goal of deforestation-free commodity supply chains.

 

COLLECTIVE ACTION AGENDA FRAMEWORK

The infographic depiction below of the Collective Action Agenda presents a holistic picture of the inter-connections among actors (companies, communities, farmers, etc.) and enabling conditions (advance jurisdictional action, etc.) necessary to realize deforestation-free supply chains. 

TFA Wheel
  • 1 . CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP
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    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    SUPPLY CHAIN ACTORS

    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    Corporations that buy, trade, and sell soft commodities and their products including soy, beef, paper & pulp, and palm oil have tremendous leverage in demanding that what they source is not associated with deforestation. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Encourage companies to take necessary actions to meet their sustainability commitments
    • Support companies in their efforts to achieve transparency across their entire supply chains
    • Ensure a just transition to sustainable supply where costs are shared across actors
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    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    PRODUCERS

    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    Large or small, the close proximity producers and farmers have to the landscape including agricultural lands and forests makes them vitally important in efforts to stop deforestation and mitigate climate change. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Ensure producers (particularly smallholders) do not carry unjust risk or financial burden in transitioning to sustainable practices
    • Better understand and employ location-specific solutions to address producers’ challenges in shifting practices
    • Build producers’ capacity to produce deforestation-free soft commodities through cross-sector partnerships and cooperatives
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    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    INDIGENOUS PEOPLES & FOREST-DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES

    CORE STAKEHOLDER GROUP

    Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are key stewards of the world’s forests. Their everyday lives depend on forests for their livelihoods, traditions, and way of life. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Ensure policies protecting the rights of IPLCs are in-place across sectors and enforced
    • Disseminate and increase uptake of forest-friendly agricultural practices used by IPLCs
    • Broadly feature the diverse knowledge and insights of IPLCs at events dedicated to stopping deforestation from soft commodity production
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  • 2 . PRODUCER COUNTRY ACTION
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    PRODUCER COUNTRY ACTION

    ADVANCE JURISDICTIONAL ACTION

    PRODUCER COUNTRY ACTION

    Transformative impact requires supply chain companies to complement individual supply chain action by engaging in jurisdictional approaches. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Define concrete opportunities for private sector engagement and investment in priority jurisdictions
    • Facilitate comprehensive and integrated land use planning reflective of the realities on the ground and tailored to local needs
    • Assess and reward geographies that become reliable sources for sustainable products
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    PRODUCER COUNTRY ACTION

    DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT NATIONAL POLICIES

    PRODUCER COUNTRY ACTION

    In countries that produce soft commodities, enacting and enforcing robust laws and regulations that clearly outline what constitutes illegal deforestation is one of the most important steps that can be taken in the fight against deforestation. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Create enabling policy conditions wherein companies are incentivized to source sustainable products along the value chain
    • Create a level playing field among industry and establish mechanisms to hold industry to account when operating outside of the law
    • Enable those who depend on forest products to pursue alternative livelihoods  
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  • 3 . DEMAND SIDE COUNTRY ACTION
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    DEMAND SIDE COUNTRY ACTION

    ADVANCE DEMAND SIDE MEASURES

    DEMAND SIDE COUNTRY ACTION

    Countries that drive significant demand for soft commodities must take action to implement regulatory and non-regulatory measures that lead to decreased deforestation and conversion. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Draft and implement robust regulation in the EU that encourages transformation in tropical forest countries and strengthens supply chain action, supported by multistakeholder processes.
    • Determine a path to demand-side regulation for key countries worldwide.
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    DEMAND SIDE COUNTRY ACTION

    BUILD AWARENESS & ACTION IN EMERGING MARKETS

    DEMAND SIDE COUNTRY ACTION

    Emerging markets play an increasing role in the global trade for forest risk commodities – China alone represents 62% of global soy imports, 32% for pulp & paper and 11% for palm oil. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Increase awareness among target stakeholders of deforestation risks in commodity supply chains in key emerging markets
    • Encourage emerging market economies to take action to decouple production and consumption from driving commodity-driven deforestation.
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  • 4 . CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION
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    CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION

    BUILD TARGETED ADVOCACY, CAMPAIGNS & CAPACITY

    CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION

    Civil society must influence decision-making in the public and private sectors to spur greater ambition, accountability, and sustained action. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Build impactful partnerships between NGOs and the private sector to address challenges in on-the-ground implementation.
    • Conduct campaigns and targeted advocacy using the best available information that create pressure for companies to act and support enabling conditions for action.
    • Consistently advocate for and monitor company performance relative to clear guidelines so that good actors are recognized while pressure can be applied to those with weaker performance.
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    CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION

    ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

    CIVIL SOCIETY ACTION

    Transparent and timely reporting must become a standard practice for companies across soft commodities sectors. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Harmonize and operationalize guidance from various measurement, monitoring and reporting platforms to allow companies to provide consistent information for verifying the sustainability of their products.
    • Encourage adoption of public reporting as standard practice for companies resulting in more transparency across entire sectors.
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  • 5 . FINANCE SECTOR ACTION
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    FINANCE SECTOR ACTION

    SCALE INNOVATIVE FINANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

    FINANCE SECTOR ACTION

    Innovative finance models are key to unlock sustainable and deforestation-free commodity finance but will require private sector engagement and coordination with emerging jurisdictional initiatives to reach scale. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Better integrate financial institutions into supply chain efforts.
    • Continue to build robust, scalable instruments that enable the financing of sustainable supply chains.
    • Scale carbon finance and other mechanisms alongside private sector finance.
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    FINANCE SECTOR ACTION

    RESTRICT DEFORESTATION-LINKED FINANCE

    FINANCE SECTOR ACTION

    Companies require credit and other financial services to operate and while there has been progress on increasing sustainable finance flows in commodity production, they only represent one-fifteenth of agriculture finance. Collective actions are necessary to:

    • Create supportive regulation and policy that penalizes investments linked to deforestation.
    • Engage investors to promote awareness and action on risks related to investments in deforestation linked equity and debt instruments.
    • Engage with suppliers throughout the value chain to create the business case for sustainable practices and deforestation as a material risk.
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