Internationally, financial institutions (FIs) continue to be exempt from crucial regulations to raise their efforts and responsibility to halt deforestation and human rights violations linked to supply chains they finance. Recently, however, some initial steps were proposed in Brazil to change this situation, and a report on Rabobank showed that the environmental and social damage| Chain Reaction Research - Sustainability Risk Analysis
The European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) on June 1, 2023. Under the CSDDD, companies — potentially including those in financial services — will be obligated to demonstrate what action they are taking to protect not only the environment, but also human rights. Due diligence is not| Chain Reaction Research
On November 24, 2022, the palm oil company Bumitama Agri Ltd issued a statement clarifying its commitment to its No Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation (NDPE) policy. The statement came after it was uncovered that a non-compliant supplier, PT Permata Sawit Mandiri (PSM), had entered Bumitama’s supply chain. Fresh fruit bunches (FFB) from PT PSM| Chain Reaction Research
The owner of Agropalma SA, the largest exporter of palm oil in Brazil, is considering the sale of the company. Agropalma is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Alfa Group, a conglomerate with business segments in finance, hotels, retail, and construction. The Alfa Group is owned by the five daughters of Aloysio Andrade de Faria,| Chain Reaction Research
Analysis conducted by CRR partner AidEnvironment shows that Indonesia remains the deforestation hotspot in the Southeast Asia, based on concession data for the first six months of 2022. Data shows that the top 10 deforesters together contributed to 8,100 hectares (ha) of forest loss, and all the concessions featured in the top 10 list are| Chain Reaction Research
Cargill and Bunge, the world’s two largest traders of Brazilian soy, have been recently linked to a contested farm in Brazil, connecting the companies to human rights violations of traditional communities. Earthsight and De Olho nos Ruralistas, two non-profit organizations in the UK and Brazil, recently found that Cargill and Bunge are sourcing soy from| Chain Reaction Research
A subsidiary of Jhonlin Group, PT Jhonlin Agro Raya (JAR), is currently launching an Initial Public Offering (IPO) through the Indonesia Stock Exchange. According to the prospectus, the IPO was held from July 12-15, 2022, with the anticipation of a share listing on August 3, 2022. The company is issuing 1.22 billion new shares, with| Chain Reaction Research
In April 2022, the government of Indonesia introduced a new regulation to ban the export of palm oil. The regulation (Minister of Trade Regulation Number 22/2022) covered crude palm oil and its derivatives, including refined, bleached, and deodorized palm oil (RBDPO), refined, bleached, and deodorized olein (RBDO), and used cooking oil. The regulation sought to| Chain Reaction Research
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. Chain Reaction Research has previously flagged the company’s clearing operations in Brazil and its associated business risks. BrasilAgro has| Chain Reaction Research
Investors are continuing to urge governments and companies to take actions to conserve forests and curb commodity-driven deforestation. A group of NGOs and activist investors are currently putting together a sign-on letter in support of three key pieces of legislation in the United States that aim to decrease deforestation risks and human rights abuses in| Chain Reaction Research
