China is currently the world’s largest meat producer and consumer and experiencing sharp increases in imported soy and beef from Brazil that have contributed to deforestation in the Cerrado and Amazon. From January-May 2020, Brazil’s soybean exports to China increased by around 36.8 percent year-on-year, and Brazilian exports of frozen beef to China grew by 128 percent over the same time period. China is the leading destination of Brazilian soy-fed poultry and pork, accounting for circa 18 percent of total exports in 2019.
As a result, deforestation-risk is embedded across the domestic and imported beef, poultry, and pork products China consumes. CRR analysts joined Jessye Waxman of Green Century Funds for a webinar to discuss:
- Recent CRR research on Brazilian deforestation
- How these risks will affect Chinese markets
- CRR’s report on China’s largest restaurant group, Yum China, and the risks they face from their deforestation footprint
- How investors can effectively act on these insights through collaborative engagement efforts