On 1st November 2022, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) Senior Manager, Sustainability, Debora Dias, was invited by Innovation Forum to host a session at the Sustainable Landscapes and Commodities Forum in Amsterdam. The session, entitled ‘Is Deforestation-free Still the Right Ambition?’ brought together members and stakeholders of the CGF Forest Positive Coalition of Action to discuss progress around no deforestation and conversion commitments, and why a forest positive future is critical component of climate action.

Debora was joined on stage by Coalition member Emily Kunen, Senior Director, Positive Agriculture Capabilities & Forest Risk, PepsiCo, and Jean-Francois Timmers, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Deforestation and Conversion-Free Supply Chains, WWF. Together, the group discussed how important tackling deforestation is for companies that have made commitments to net zero and Science Based Targets. The speakers also reiterated that forest positive commitments must not be founded solely on good environmental outcomes and forest conservation – rather, we believe in building a forest positive future for all, especially for people and communities who live and work in forests.

The conversation came just before the publication of a new report from the Coalition about how investing in production landscapes makes business sense for consumer goods companies, other actors in the sector, and people, nature, and climate in forest communities. The report shares insights from Coalition members’ existing engagements and investments in production landscapes, as well as case studies from several landscape initiatives included in the Coalition’s ‘Learning Through Action’ Portfolio of Landscape Initiatives. The report is available here.

The Forest Positive Coalition was formed in 2020 by The Consumer Goods Forum and brings together 21 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers, with a combined market value of around US $2 trillion, to take collective action to remove deforestation, forest conversion and degradation from key commodity supply chains. For more information about the Coalition’s actions to create a forest positive future, visit the Coalition’s website.

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