The Consumer Goods Forum Helps Make Soy Footprinting Possible

New Soy Ladder Document to Help FMCG Companies Understand Soy Usage Within Their Respective Companies and Proportion of Their Soy Footprint that is at Risk of Causing Deforestation

PARIS, Sept. 23, 2015 /CNW/ - The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) today publishes a new document designed to provide consumer goods companies with a framework to better understand soy usage within their respective supply chains and help companies understand what proportion of their soy footprint is at risk of causing deforestation. It allows them to target their energies and resources in the areas of most risk. The 'Soy Ladder', developed in conjunction with KPMG, supports a company in making its soy usage more sustainable by providing companies with greater insights into where that soy usage is within the supply chain and which product lines contribute the most to that company's 'soy footprint'.

Delivering the CGF Commitment to Achieve Zero Net Deforestation by 2020

Soy is a key component in many of the supply chains of the foods we eat today and is used as feed for the rearing of animals, while soy and its derivatives are also used in many other such products as margarines, chocolate and cosmetics. CGF members are now better understanding its significant role in tropical deforestation and are recognising the importance of tackling this issue as part of their commitment to achieve zero-net deforestation by 2020. The CGF Board-approved commitment specifically focuses on members' efforts to ensure zero-net deforestation as a result of their activities.

Hugo Byrnes, Vice President Product Integrity at Royal Ahold and Co-Chair of the CGF's Soy Working Group, said, "Through this document we are seeking to accelerate the progress of measurement to meet the needs of stakeholders sooner. This document presents a way of clarifying an organisation's soy footprint that shows the relative impact of different parts of the supply chain and demonstrates where their related business actions could be causing deforestation."

Driving Environmental Stewardship and Sustainable Commodity Sourcing

However, the CGF fully recognises that soy is only one commodity that causes deforestation and are also actively looking at palm oil, beef and paper and pulp. The CGF is also aware that there are other high conservation value ecosystems than forests affected by the expansion of soy, in particular in South-America. This is why they are encouraging their 400 members to consider the total usage of soy, focus on the material elements and then examine more closely how that is produced. The publication of the Soy Ladder also follows on from a series of sustainable sourcing guidelines that cover the key commodities of soy, palm oil and paper and pulp.

Ignacio Gavilan, Director of Sustainability at the CGF, said, "If our industry is going to show genuine leadership, we need to tackle these issues head on. The CGF prides itself on being a platform that provides tangible and actionable solutions that our members can take and implement, no matter their size or location. The Soy Ladder is another example of how our retailer and manufacturer members are working together to drive real change across the industry and beyond."

Webinars explaining the Soy Ladder in more detail are also being planned for October this year and will offer more insights into how the document was produced and how companies can make the most of it. The CGF is also working on a detailed supporting document that provides calculation guidelines for the measurement of embedded soy usage in consumer goods businesses.

Download the CGF Soy Ladder

About The Consumer Goods Forum

The Consumer Goods Forum ("CGF") is a global, parity-based industry network that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion and directly employ nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which comprises 50 manufacturer and retailer CEOs.

For more information, please visit: http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com.

SOURCE The Consumer Goods Forum