Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation is seeing increasing pressure from NGOs and investors over its climate policies. In particular, the company is under increased scrutiny over its plans for a new coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh and its imports of wood chips, wood pellets, and palm kernel shells, which contribute to forest loss in Southeast …
Beef and soy industries in the Southern Amazon region of Brazil are at risk of almost USD 200 billion of productivity losses due to Amazon deforestation, according to a new scientific study. The study, published in Nature Communications in May 2021, looked at the relationship between deforestation and rainfall. It also assessed the impact of …
There has been a string of recent shareholder votes in favor of companies taking action to adopt or strengthen deforestation commitments. This trend is likely to increase as deforestation becomes a greater part of the climate change narrative and investors increase their understanding of how links to forest lost can lead to a variety of …
A Malaysian conglomerate, Maxim Global, has lost control of its 80,000 hectares (ha) of forest in Papua. The forest forms part of the controversial Tanah Merah project, a block of seven concessions, four of which are the focus of an active RSPO complaint against the palm oil company Pacific Inter-Link/HSA Group. The loss of control …
The palm oil value chain contains a number of stakeholder groups, such as smallholders, large plantations, refineries, the fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) industry, the oleochemical and pharmaceutical industry, and the retail and food service sector. In every step of the chain, palm oil is further processed or is embedded in products which contain other ingredients, …
Malaysia is the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, after Indonesia. Peninsular Malaysia accounts for more than 12 percent of world production and produces approximately half of Malaysia’s palm oil. It also hosts a large number of forests rich in biodiversity and large carbon stock. How are Peninsular Malaysia’s forests protected from more deforestation for oil …
This report discusses the role of Japan in the worldwide palm oil and timber market, looking particularly at the country’s position as a buyer and financier of unsustainable palm oil and plywood. Download the PDF here: Japan: Major Financier and Buyer of Leakage Palm Oil and Plywood Download the Indonesian version here: Japan: Major Financier …
The Cerrado biome, a vast, biodiverse tropical savannah in Brazil, is under threat from commodity-driven deforestation. Soy expansion and cattle ranching are direct drivers of forest loss in the Cerrado. This report presents new data on specific actors linked to Cerrado deforestation in 2020, including the quantified risk exposure of the largest soy traders, meatpackers, …
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 …
On April 15th, the Zoological Society of London SPOTT (ZSL SPOTT), Chain Reaction Research (CRR), and Orbitas hosted a webinar to discuss financiers should analyze a broad range of risks amongst palm oil companies in Indonesia as well as the whole supply chain to inform their ESG investment and lending strategies. Combining company transparency and …
CRR research has found that South Korean companies are significant leakage players as both developers of plantations and buyers of palm oil products. Six South Korean plantation owners have significant non-compliance issues linked, to environmental, social, and human rights issues. The top South Korean buyers of Indonesian palm lack the world’s best sustainability commitments, and …
JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva are the largest meat processors in Brazil, dominating beef processing and exports. Our latest report assesses the companies’ exposure to deforestation and analyses their market, reputation, and technology risks. Our analysis shows: – The companies show little progress in monitoring indirect supply chains; – They face material financial risks from European …
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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