In the aftermath of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November, energy markets will become even further focused on substitutes for fossil fuels. There will be growing attention to solar and wind power, batteries, electric vehicles, as well as replacing and/or mixing fossil fuels with biofuels. The use of palm oil as biofuel feedstock in …
The recently released PRODES data for 2021 shows deforestation of 13,235 km2 (1,323,500 hectares) in the Legal Amazon, the highest number since 2008 and an increase of 22 percent when compared to the previous year (the annual rates cover a timeframe from August of the previous year to July of the current year). Since the …
Just two weeks after a watershed announcement by more than 100 countries at COP26 on eliminating deforestation, the EU released a draft law on November 17 that would require companies to show that their products are not tied to forest clearing. Essentially, the legislation would ban commodities that are linked to deforestation, whether legal or …
Indonesia’s multi-businesses company group, Astra International, is reportedly expanding its gold mine in North Sumatra. This mine is operated by Astra International’s subsidiary PT Agincourt Resources and is in the habitat of the Critically Endangered Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis). The expansion puts the approximately 800 orangutans in the region at greater risk and raises questions …
In the light of environmental and social sustainability concerns in relation to palm oil from Southeast Asia, several Latin American countries see an opportunity to open export markets as they present palm oil from the region as a more sustainable option. However, social and environmental sustainability concerns are also prominent in the Latin American sector …
Oil palm growers in Brazil have argued that palm oil production is a “green solution” to safeguard the Amazon as a result of planting on areas already degraded and cleared only before 2008. While palm oil production in the Brazilian Amazon has relatively lower environmental impacts than soy and beef, this paper shows how also …
Indonesia is among the world’s largest mining countries. It is also a country of conglomerate companies with interests in various businesses, including deforestation-related sectors such as oil palm, industrial trees and mining. This report aims to shed a light on overlapping company groups in the Indonesian palm oil and mining sectors. Some large palm oil …
Despite the increase in palm oil refining capacity covered by No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policies, eight of 25 largest refiners are still operating in the leakage market. This report analyzes the financiers and investors in these companies, updating a study published by Chain Reaction Research (CRR) in 2018. The financial institutions are …
In the light of environmental and social sustainability concerns in relation to palm oil from Southeast Asia, several Latin American countries see the opportunity to open export markets as they present palm oil from the region as a more sustainable option. However, social and environmental sustainability concerns are also prominent in the Latin American sector …
Chain Reaction Research held a webinar on October 21st, 2021 looking into a recent Aidenvironment report that documented 133,000 hectares of deforestation since 2016 that are significant producers of palm oil. The event focused on the need for more palm oil buyers’ No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policies to be applied across all …
Chain Reaction Research (CRR) and Forests & Finance held a webinar on July 22nd, 2021 looking into their recent research of who provides financing to companies in palm oil supply chains tied to deforestation. The session covered CRR’s report on the share of palm oil refining covered by NDPE policies. Forests & Finance shared an …
Japan is a large buyer of palm oil and timber products from Indonesia and Malaysia. While the country has promoted sustainability ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, sourcing policies are still inadequate. Against this backdrop, Japan’s large demand for palm oil and plywood is linked to deforestation and leakage markets for both commodities. Japan is …
Chain Reaction Research (CRR) strives to provide objective insight and unbiased analysis on market trends and company and investor risk for its readers. CRR determines content based on what is considered to be of broad interest to readers and whether it can provide candid, high-level debate.
Chain Reaction Research conducts free sustainability risk analysis for financial analysts, credit analysts, commercial bankers, institutional investors, corporations, and other stakeholders. Our special focus is demonstrating that deforestation is material financial risk. We focus on tropical deforestation-related commodities including palm oil, soy, cattle, coffee, cacao, timber pulp and paper, and other products. We are funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) scheme managed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), and the Moore Charitable Foundation. Chain Reaction Research statements and materials do not necessarily reflect the standpoints of the Packard Foundation, the Moore Foundation or Norad.
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