Corporate Zero Deforestation Commitments (ZDCs) and the road to reducing global deforestation​ ​ by Simon Bager (UCLouvain), Tiago Reis (UCLouvain), Floris Leijten (Unilever-VU Amsterdam)

The production of forest-risk commodities, such as palm oil, soy, beef and timber drive global forest loss. To reduce deforestation risks across supply chains, more than 500 companies have adopted zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs). However, by the start of 2020 – the target for most commitments – even the most progressive companies have fallen short of their goals, and tropical primary forest loss remains at historically high levels. The effectiveness of these commitments is uncertain, as there is considerable variation in ambition and scope, there are no globally agreed definitions of what constitutes a forest, and supply chain characteristics differ widely across commodities. Further, companies are faced with implementation challenges and many do not report on progress in removing deforestation from supply chains. What does this mean for the prospects of reducing commodity-driven deforestation? Here, we present findings from our collective research projects on zero-deforestation commitments to illustrate both the failures and successes on zero-deforestation commitments"

​ by Simon Bager (UCLouvain), Tiago Reis (UCLouvain), Floris Leijten (Unilever-VU Amsterdam)