TEST: AidEnvironment’s Compliance Checker is going live in 2026!
This interactive tool will house evidence of the real-time impacts of commodity production. Based on nonpartisan evidence and supply chain mapping, case studies in the Compliance Checker presents data such as visually confirmed deforestation and land use change; legal violations; and commodity traders and operators behind the scenes.
While monitoring on-the-ground impact, the Compliance Checker links sourcing regions to global markets and flags potential compliance issues with legislative requirements, such as those introduced by the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Since late 2024, we have published various commodity company accountability reports, showcasing over 50 potential noncompliance cases of deforestation and social violation cases under the EUDR. Big names in commodity trading have surfaced, such as Cargill, JBS, JDE Peet’s, CamVert, FriGol, and Mondelēz. These reports along with more upcoming research, including EU member state deforestation risk profiles since trade year 2021, can be found on the Compliance Checker launching later this quarter.
This interactive tool will house evidence of the real-time impacts of commodity production. Based on nonpartisan evidence and supply chain mapping, case studies in the Compliance Checker presents data such as visually confirmed deforestation and land use change; legal violations; and commodity traders and operators behind the scenes. While monitoring on-the-ground impact, the Compliance Checker links sourcing regions to global […]
Article by Erliza Arthalina, AidEnvironment intern Looking back at the Sumatran floods nearly three months ago, one of the districts most severely affected was Aceh Tamiang, which spans 2,216.16 km² (1). Located on the eastern coast of Aceh Province and bordering the Malacca Strait, the district is dominated by palm oil plantations, leaving only 576 km² of forest, less […]
Written by Erliza Cikal Arthalina Over the past few weeks, several regions across Sumatra—particularly Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra—have experienced severe floods and landslides. Extreme rainfall associated with La Niña and Cyclone Senyar in the Strait of Malacca inundated landscapes that have long become more fragile due to reduced standing forest. In many locations, the combination of these […]
Our team analysed 77 products in seven commodity categories: cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, wood, and rubber. We produced 27 profiles to identify which EU member states are at higher risk of importing commodities linked to deforestation. These latest risk profiles of each of the 27 EU member states reveal that the Netherlands remains the number one importer of […]
JOIN THE FIRST COURSE TO BECOME A DEFORESTATION-FREE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER February, 2025 – The EMMA4EU project team is proud to announce the launch of an Advanced Training Course in Deforestation-Free Supply Chain Management: an innovative educational programme designed to equip professionals and master’s degree students with the knowledge and skills needed to manage supply chains in compliance with the […]
By Sarah Drost and Rita Raleira AidEnvironment’s risk profile of Italy highlights that in 2023, the country ranked third among the EU’s top five importers of key commodities targeted under the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), bringing in approximately 11.6 million metric tons (MT) of goods like leather, palm oil, and coffee from non-EU countries. These imports make up 13% of […]
By Valerie de Vries A recent update to AidEnvironment’s database of direct suppliers to JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva—the three largest meatpackers in Brazil—shows an increase of over 35% compared to June of this year. The direct supplying farms now cover an area of 18.4 million hectares, more than twice the size of the Netherlands and Belgium combined. Our sample identified […]
By Sarah Drost, Valerie de Vries and Iqra Rafiq The Netherlands imported 44.1% of all cocoa products imported in the EU from non-EU origin countries in 2023, 41.6% of all palm oil products, 19.3% of all soy products, and 13.5% of all cattle products. These insights and many more can be found in the 27 factsheets AidEnvironment has developed in […]
A recent update to AidEnvironment’s database includes direct and indirect suppliers of JBS, Marfrig and Minerva, the three largest meatpackers in Brazil, covering 23.6 million hectares. That area is larger in size than the island forming Great Britain (20.93 million ha). Our sample identified 23,594 direct supplying farms and 47,338 indirect supplying farms linked to the three largest meatpackers in […]
Author: Marco Garcia, Deforestation-free supply chains team AidEnvironment’s real-time deforestation monitoring (RDM) system has detected a recent clearing inside SLC Agricola’s Fazenda Palmares located in Barreiras municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. This farm and an earlier case of native vegetation loss linked to a fire event have been reported by AidEnvironment and included in Earthsight’s recently published Fashion Crimes investigation. The […]
For the first time, the AidEnvironment team has collated a snapshot of the work we have undertaken across issue areas and geographies. Looking back at 2023, we continued to strengthen and improve our initiatives in the Sector Transformation field by undertaking assessments and strategic development for stakeholders aiming for fairer and more inclusive supply chains. We likewise increased our […]
Article drafted by Sarah Drost, Deforestation-free Supply Chain Team, 21 February 2024 Since 2019, AidEnvironment’s Deforestation-free Supply Chains Team has expanded its support to European and non-European legislative initiatives, either by backing the adoption of strong laws and guiding their effective implementation, or by substantiating strategic litigation under the legal acts adopted through a focus on non-compliance cases, supply chain […]
Article by Sarah Drost AidEnvironment continuously supports civil society, law charities, campaigners, and journalists with supply chain mapping and global trade data analyses. This year we have mapped the Colombian palm oil supply chain, assessed how the Unites States is tied to scope-3 emissions linked to global commodity trade and consumption. We have also mapped importing operators eligible under the […]
Introduction The take-up of No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policies by the palm oil industry has had a significant impact on reducing forest loss for oil palm plantation development. A 2020 study by Aidenvironment and our partners determined that 83% of refining capacity in Indonesia and Malaysia, accounting for approximately 50% of the world’s refining capacity, is covered […]
Article drafted by Sarah Drost and Rita Raleira. With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) having entered into force in June this year, preparations for the application of the law have been set in motion. EU Member States must nominate their respective Competent Authorities, responsible for the supervision and enforcement of the EUDR, by the end of 2023, while the European […]
Article by Indonesia team In the first half of 2023, the industrial forest plantation sector in Indonesia was responsible for significant deforestation, with ten companies collectively contributing to the clearance of 10,000 hectares of forest. Approximately 81% of this deforestation was attributed to just three companies. Furthermore, six out of the top ten companies for forest clearance were also among […]
Deforestation, primarily fueled by the expansion of agricultural land to produce specific commodities known as ‘forest-risk commodities’ (FRC), significantly contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss in tropical countries. The FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 reveals that approximately 420 million hectares of forest were deforested worldwide between 1990 and 2020, with an annual rate of 10 million hectares from […]
Article drafted by Marco Tulio Garcia, Expert – Deforestation-free Supply Chains GIS analysis. Forest Monitoring Tools Forest monitoring tools are technologies and methodologies used to track changes in forest cover, forest health, and biodiversity over time. These tools range from satellite imagery and remote sensing technology, which can provide larger-scale data on forest cover and deforestation, to ground-based surveys and […]
Article drafted by Rita Raleira, Researcher, Deforestation-free Supply Chains It is official now – the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 9 June 2023, will officially enter into force on 29 June 2023. Its core obligations, however, will only become applicable as of 30 December 2024, giving companies and EU Member States […]
Written by Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari team As part of the social forestry project implemented in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan, Yayasan Sangga Bumi Lestari, AidEnvironment’s team in Asia, held a series of workshops to surface input from local communities. One of the goals of the social forestry project is to work with local communities in achieving their ideas of using […]
The first quarter of 2023 saw 10 companies clear 4,000 hectares (ha) of forest in Indonesia’s industrial forest plantation sector, new analysis by AidEnvironment shows. Approximately 77% of this deforestation was caused by the two companies that have long been the largest deforesters in Indonesia’s industrial forest sector: PT Mayawana Persada in West Kalimantan and PT Industrial Forest Plantation in […]
Article by Okita Miraningrum and Rita Raleira How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day last week? Many chose to show their love and appreciation for their loved ones by offering them the typical gifts of the season – flowers, candy, or… chocolate! Besides being an all-time favorite Valentine’s Day gift, many people also consume chocolate daily — be it as […]
Two well-known deforesters were responsible for 10,600 hectares (ha) of forest loss in Indonesia’s industrial forest plantation sector in 2022. The two companies are PT Mayawana Persada in West Kalimantan, which is operated by Alas Kusuma; and PT Industrial Forest Plantation in Central Kalimantan, operated by Nusantara Fiber. The remaining eight companies among the ten largest deforesters in Indonesia as […]
On December 6th, 2022, the European Commission, Council, and Parliament reached a political agreement on the new regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. Since 2021, AidEnvironment has provided thorough analyses and research inputs on key elements of the regulation in collaboration with and supported by our partners, including ClientEarth, Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN), Mighty Earth, and the Meridian Institute. AidEnvironment’s trade […]
As part of the Chain Reaction Research consortium, AidEnvironment co-organized a webinar on Thursday, December 1, dedicated to the findings of two recently-published reports, assessing the EU Deforestation Regulation and its impacts on stakeholders within Brazilian cattle and soy supply chains. The webinar had a total of 153 attendees joining from 24 countries. The attendees represented a diverse pool of organizations, […]
5 DECEMBER 2022 Celebrating World Soil Day Article by Marina Vara Gutiérrez, Regenerative agriculture expert, AidEnvironment Soil nutrition loss is one of the major degradation processes threatening food production and it is widely recognized among the most important problems for food security and sustainable food production at a global scale. World Soil Day 2022 centers on the theme ‘’Soils: where […]
Following a 2021 report on the role of the car industry in driving deforestation, Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) has now assessed 15 companies in the automotive supply chain (10 car brands and 5 car seat suppliers) on how each of them addresses leather-related deforestation risks. These companies were individually and systematically scored in relation to the strength of their zero-deforestation policies and strategies; how they implemented these policies; the information they disclose to the […]
AidEnvironment, together with 55 other civil society organisations (CSOs) and trade unions, wrote an open letter to the European Commission calling for non-state actors to be able to access customs trade information. The organisations believe that the reform of the Union Customs legislation can contribute to a more effective implementation of EU legislative initiatives and the achievement of related policy […]
Article by Rita Raleira After the Council of the European Union (“Council”) and the European Parliament (“Parliament”) having adopted their negotiating positions, in June and September respectively, the EU Regulation proposal for deforestation-free supply chains (“EU Deforestation Regulation”) is now in the trilogue negotiations phase. Representatives from the three European institutions (Commission, Council, and Parliament) are currently engaging in informal […]
Article by Anne Kikundwa Communities in Kamrono in the Ugandan district of Agago, face a lot of deforestation. With the exception of shea trees which are predominant protected by strict community bylaws, many local tree species are increasingly being cut down to be used as wood fuel and charcoal. Charcoal burning is a common activity in the community that is […]
Your dose of sustainable solutions As another quarter comes to a close, our team continues to work with partners around the globe collecting data, developing strategies for sustainable sector transformation, and putting these strategies into action on the ground. From Indonesia to Uganda, we’re excited to share the latest updates in our September Newsletter. If you are working on similar […]
Indonesia remains the deforestation hotspot in the region according to an analysis conducted by AidEnvironment of the oil palm concession companies in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea with the most deforestation in the first six months of 2022. The top ten concessions collectively contributed to 8,100 hectares of deforestation and these ten concessions are all located in Indonesia. Two […]
On Tuesday 13 September, the European Parliament voted on a series of measures to create a EU Deforestation Regulation that would effectively tackle deforestation in the global supply chains of products sold in the EU. A substantial majority of MEPs voted in favour of introduced amendments. Most significantly, these changes include: Recognition of the role of the financial sector in […]
Cargill and Bunge, the world’s two largest traders of Brazilian soy, are linked to a farm in Brazil connected to human rights violations of traditional communities. Figure 1: Brazilian contested farm Brasília do Sul with nearby facilities of Cargill and Bunge Source: AidEnvironment, based on INCRA, Sicarm 2022, Funai 2020. Note that ADM was not mentioned in the investigative research. Earthsight and […]
Recent analysis by AidEnvironment identified the ten largest deforesters for industrial timber in Indonesia in the second quarter of 2022. Collectively, these ten concessions cleared 7,000 ha of forest, peat and peat forest between April and June 2022. Four out of five biggest deforesters in the first quarter of this year also appear in this period’s list. The ten largest […]
Article by Kikundwa Anne People are “constantly cutting down trees,” says Mr. Kissa Charles, who is part of the Green Future Farming (GFF) Project in Kapchorwa District, Uganda. He also remarks that “they have nowhere else to get firewood.” As a demonstration farmer, Mr. Charles’ farm hosts technologies and best practices promoted by the GFF project. Initiatives under the GFF […]
On Tuesday, 4 August 2022, AidEnvironment officially launched a social forestry website in partnership with the Government of Ketapang District in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The launch event was held at the Ketapang Regent Office and was attended by representatives of the Village Forest Management Institution (Lembaga Desa Pengelola Hutan/LDPH), village government, Regional Apparatus Organization (Organisasi Perangkat Daerah/OPD), North Ketapang and […]
EU Deforestation Regulation: Will the traceability requirement hold smallholder producers back? The short answer is no. The European Commission’s recent proposed legislation to eliminate deforestation from the supply chains of soft commodities will require, among other things, complete traceability of the supply chains of a set of high-risk commodities. This has led civil society and industry to wonder about the […]
Our new website is here! The AidEnvironment team is thrilled to share that our updated website is now live. We have a new look to reflect how our work has evolved. But our mission remains the same: to work together with our partners to protect and restore ecosystems and improve livelihoods. You can read more about it here. Sharing our experiences […]
AidEnvironment launches its new website along with a new look, including a bright new color palette and a new logo. These visual reminders reflect how AidEnvironment continues to grow and innovate while remaining committed to our vision to build a sustainable, collaborative, and inclusive world with our partners.
Five industrial tree plantations companies in Indonesia contributed to almost 3,000 ha of forest loss in the first quarter 2022. Four of the companies operate in Kalimantan, with one Sumatra. The group companies responsible for the clearings are Alas Kusuma, Nusantara Fiber, PT Hutan Produksi Lestari, Jhonlin Group, and PT Toba Pulp Lestari (affiliated with Royal Golden Eagle). 1. ALAS […]
Ten industrial tree concessions together had over 1,500 NASA fire alerts on their concessions in Indonesia’s dry season of 2021, analysis by Aidenvironment shows. Aidenvironment investigated all industrial tree concessions in Indonesia, to identify the companies with highest number of fire alerts. Most of the fires occurred in Kalimantan, then in Sumatra and surrounding islands, then East and West Nusa […]
BrasilAgro, a Brazilian rural real estate firm and soy producer, has plans to convert at least 10,000 hectares (ha) of Cerrado native vegetation for livestock and grain production, which include the drilling of several large-capacity wells. Aidenvironment, through its Chain Reaction Research consortium, already monitors BrasilAgro for several years, and has previously flagged the company’s clearing operations in Brazil and the associated business risks. Read […]
Aidenvironment recently published its Chain Reaction Research report on palm oil developments in Africa. The report inspired a Mongabay article published today on how in West and Central Africa, palm oil investors buckle under community pressure. There is substantial discrepancy between oil palm concessions in the region and areas ultimately converted for industrial oil palm plantations. One of the powerful explanations “is the cross-border campaigning and resistance […]
The Norway’s International Climate & Forests Initiative (NICFI) Satellite Data Program provides high-resolution satellite imagery of the global tropics to help reduce and reverse tropical forest loss. A key goal of the program is to help advance solutions that reduce pressure on forests from global markets. The virtual roundtable event focused on the post- Glasgow Declaration context, and the role […]
On 22 February 2022, AidEnvironment published a Real-time Deforestation Monitoring (RDM) report that sheds light on 21,265 hectares of deforestation and fire events linked to soy traders and meatpackers in the Cerrado biome in Brazil. RDM reports aim to: create awareness on recent deforestation and fire events linked to global commodities’ supply chains; engage commodity producers and traders on real-time deforestation […]
