COFCO, a major Chinese company active in agricultural markets, released a statement in late January at the World Economic Form (WEF) in support of shoring up “sustainable” practices and curbing deforestation in commodity supply chains. COFCO’s CEO, Jun Lyu, warned industry that failure to curb climate change could lead to poor crop production and limit …
Faced with investor pressure, food service provider Aramark announced January 23, 2019 that it plans to put into effect a no-deforestation commitment by 2025. As a result, Green Century Capital Management withdrew its shareholder resolution it had filed with Aramark. The company, headquartered in Philadelphia, says it will implement a No Deforestation, No Peat, No …
Higher Brazilian beef exports to China are likely to test sustainability commitments in both countries. China (including Hong Kong) imported 44 percent of Brazil’s total beef exports in 2018, compared to 40 percent in 2017 and 35 percent in 2016. Brazil, the largest exporter of beef in the world even though most of the country’s …
Major agricultural commodity trader Bunge updated its commitment to sustainability along its grain and oilseeds supply chains last month in an effort to further curb deforestation. While Bunge has made progress in its sustainability strategy, its update falls short of expectations that the company would address legal deforestation and provide more details about its measures …
Brazil is one of the top target countries for farmland investment deals, because of the potential for high yields and productivity. The country has been an attractive destination for investors who buy farmland to diversify their portfolios and seek stable returns. Following the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, institutional investors, including pension funds, university …
BrasilAgro continues to clear land on its Chaparral farm in Correntina, a municipality in the Brazilian state of Bahia. In October and November, the company deforested a total of 1,194 hectares at Chaparral, according to satellite images (see below) from Chain Reaction Research (CRR) partner Aidenvironment. Clearing of native vegetation at Fazenda Chaparral (left October …
Peru’s largest consumer goods company Alicorp is facing criticism over a recent report that the company is sourcing palm oil from deforested plantations. Research organization Convoca published a report on November 30, 2018 that Alicorp has been purchasing palm oil that is linked to deforestation. Convoca says that Alicorp has bought palm oil that originated at …
This report builds on Chain Reaction Research’s (CRR) company profile on BrasilAgro, published in November 2017. It showed that from 2012 to 2017, BrasilAgro had cleared 21,690 ha of native vegetation in the Brazilian Cerrado. BrasilAgro has faced the risk of losing clients with zero-deforestation commitments, as well as an overvaluation of its land portfolio. …
The election of populist Jair Bolsonaro to be president of Brazil will likely increase deforestation in the Amazon and the Cerrado amid higher output from the country’s soy and beef industries. Bolsonaro, who was elected on October 28, 2018, has articulated a pro-business agenda and prefers the agriculture industry over preserving the environment and respecting …
This report, which builds on the company profile on SLC Agrícola published by Chain Reaction Research in September 2017, reviews the company’s sustainability and business risks in the last year. The initial report showed that from 2011 to 2017, SLC Agrícola cleared 39,887 ha of land of its original vegetation, of which 30,000 ha was …
