Commodity focus
Soy (Brazil)
In the context of the implementation of the French national strategy on imported deforestation published in 2018, a multi-stakeholder working group was formed and tasked by the government and the French Development Agency to propose a practical mechanism to reduce deforestation risks carried by soy imports from Latin America, with an initial focus on Brazil. In the first half of 2020, the major soy traders, consumer facing companies, environmental NGOs and researchers debated the key elements of the practical mechanism.
The proposed mechanism is based on risk analysis with available data from official sources in the producing country and from the French customs. Its implementation does not involve changing the rules in force but is based on existing legal frameworks related to the social and environmental liability of business, including the French law on the duty of vigilance.
Related information
- Report (in French): Mettre fin aux importations de soja issu de la conversion d’écosystèmes naturels d’Amérique du Sud – Proposition d’un mécanisme pour mettre en œuvre les engagements français
- Beyond the soy sector, the Ministry of Ecologic Transition published an information platform to support the implementation of the national strategy on imported deforestation, with data and resources on six major forest-risk supply chains
