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Over 70% of natural rubber companies now have comprehensive sustainability policies
Five years of ZSL assessment and engagement show progress in natural rubber sector, but further action needed from industry to fulfil commitments Data summary The majority of the world’s largest natural rubber companies have published comprehensive sustainability policies, reveals…
Palm Oil Indicator Framework – your feedback welcome
We would like to invite you to provide feedback to us on the SPOTT Palm Oil indicator framework ahead of the 2024 assessments. To ensure SPOTT continues to align with best practice reporting standards, we have made two significant changes…
Latest news:
The French National Strategy to Fight Imported Deforestation: a few takeaways from the final document
Overview The French National Strategy to Fight Imported Deforestation (stratégie nationale de lutte contre la déforestation importée: SNDI) seeks to combat imported deforestation by 2030, which it defines as ‘the importation of raw or processed…
Tracking progress towards stronger forest governance
The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) is a partnership of governments, multinational companies, civil society and indigenous peoples working to halve deforestation by 2020 and to end it by 2030. The NYDF outlines ten ambitious global targets focused on…
RSPO Financial Institutions Q&A
On Thursday 15 November 2018, moments before the RSPO General Assembly which saw the adoption of new and improved RSPO Principles and Criteria, attendees gathered for a panel session and Q&A with members of the RSPO’s Financial Institutions Task Force…
Building biodiversity into business best practice: a roadmap for action
On the eve of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) – the most important environmental policy event of the year – the state of the world’s biodiversity is under intense scrutiny, with the UN warning we…
ZSL report finds palm oil companies lacking clear sustainability targets
Zero-deforestation commitments within the palm oil industry risk being undermined by a lack of monitoring within production landscapes – meaning the deforestation of tropical forests home to Critically Endangered wildlife such as Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and orangutans (Pongo abelii)…
Rubber – does ‘natural’ mean sustainable?
Rubber products are present in our daily lives, often without us even noticing. From mattresses to toothbrushes, the shoes we wear on our feet, to the tyres on cars, buses and bikes, lining conveyer belts, asphalt and yoga mats, in balloons, condoms,…
Not seeing the emissions for the trees – why responsible finance must focus on forests
Against a backdrop of increasing fossil fuel divestment and the rapid growth of the renewable energy and green transport sectors, the topic of climate change currently takes centre stage. The financial sector’s growing interest in climate change and emission reduction…
Strengthening sustainability certification
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) can play a vital role in ensuring that sustainability standards are informed by best practice and continual improvement. NGOs also play a key role in their development and implementation, contributing specialist sector knowledge, bringing perspectives on multi-stakeholder…
Terra incognita: missing maps in the tropical forestry sector hamper efforts to combat forest loss
Efforts to monitor and manage the impacts of the tropical forestry sector are being hindered, due to many companies failing to accurately disclose where they operate – leaving biodiverse forests at risk of unsustainable exploitation. This is just…
Finance sector role flagged in French strategy to fight imported deforestation
Earlier this month, the French government released a draft of its National Strategy to Fight Imported Deforestation (stratégie nationale de lutte contre la déforestation importée: SNDI) for public consultation. Importantly, the high-level document recognises that the financial sector can contribute…
