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The goal of this webinar series and subsequent paper, is to contribute to sector-wide knowledge building, sharing best practices and joint action. The series and publication are part of the Shared Resources Joint Solutions (SRJS)-program, in collaboration with IUCN NL and WNF.
The series and publication are primarily intended to set the tone and provide insight into the impact of beef production – and then address concrete actions towards conversion-free companies. In the last session, we focused on practical investor tools and engagement strategies. The online sessions were attended by a diverse group of speakers from different continents and regions. Below you will find the content and presentations of the three sessions and at the bottom of this page you will find a report of what was discussed per session.
Session 1 (May 27th, 3:30-5:00 pm) | Setting the scene – impacts of beef production in Latin America
Deel A – Guyra Paraguay (local NGO) – Fabiana Arévalos – Program Coordinator
Deel B – FMO (Development Bank) – to be confirmed
Session 2 (June 10th, 3:30-5:00 pm) | Actions in the supply chain towards deforestation and conversion-free portfolios
Deel A – WWF Brazil – Bianca Nakamato, Conservation Analyst
Deel B – McDonalds – Rachael Sherman, Director Global Sustainability
Session 3 (Juni 24th, 3:30-5:00 pm) | Risk identification, tools and corporate engagement
Deel A – ACTIAM – Karina Carius de Barros, Responsible Investment Officer
Deel B – UNPRI – Tom Barron / Maria de Filippo – Manager Stewardship / Senior Environmental Specialist
Summery per session
Part 1 – The impact of meat production in Latin America
May 27, 3:30-5:00 pm – Our first webinar in collaboration with IUCN NL and WWF NL on livestock supply chains and deforestation was a success. Insights were shared with 32 participants about the situation in Paraguay, including a more sectoral approach and the link with the financial sector. This first training laid the foundation for the next two webinars.
Fabiana Arévalos, a program coordinator, and Araceli Duré, an analyst at Guyra Paraguay, shared their experience with working in the Gran Chaco ecoregion in Latin America. A lot of insight was given about the current situation in this area and how Guyra, as a local NGO, wants to tackle deforestation resulting from the production of livestock and soy. Fabiana emphasized the necessity of improved traceability, transparency and monitoring of the beef supply chain and that, due to the local legislation, much deforestation is taking place.
Simon Hall, Senior Manager – Tropical Forests & Agriculture at the National Wildlife Federation, is currently a representative of NWF on the Board of Directors at the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). Simon provided information about the Joint Working Group on Land-Use Change (JWG) – aimed at helping to find solutions that protect forests and native vegetation and promote more sustainable livestock value chains. He presented nine important points for financial institutions concerning their contribution.
Maria Lettini, Executive Director of the FAIRR initiative, presented the work of FAIRR. Her presentation included the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index (assessment of the 60 largest animal protein related companies), 10 risk factors (including deforestation and biodiversity) and 31 KPIs. One of the most important findings is that most beef producing companies have no or very limited discussions about deforestation risks in their bovine supply chains. She stressed that there is no time to waste: there is an increase in deforestation, e.g. in Brazil, while at the same time sustainability is more prominent because of COVID19.
Part 2 – Actions from the supply chain focusing on deforestation and conversion-free portfolios
June 10, 3:30-5:00 pm – This time the session focused specifically on prevention of deforestation and land conversion by companies in the supply chain. We had two speakers, each with from a different perspective. We invited WWF Brazil as an NGO and McDonalds (global) as a company.
Bianca Nakamato, Conservation Analyst at WWF Brazil, started by refreshing our memories with a general overview of the risks associated with animal husbandry and in which regions we are dealing with deforestation and land conversion. After going into depth about the complexity of the beef supply chain, we switched to the activities of companies and how WWF Brazil collaborates with them in the Collaboration for Forests and Agriculture (CFA) program to improve policies and practices. Bianca concluded with next steps and the important aspects that investors can watch out for in companies.
Rachael Sherman, Director of Global Sustainability at the McDonald’s Corporation, started her story with an overview of McDonalds policies with a focus on the commitments they made regarding deforestation prevention. For this they work together with many initiatives, tools and frameworks to acquire knowledge and achieve their goal. They also work together with the program of WWF Brazil (CFA). McDonalds placed itself on the CFA scale and discussed what remains to be done. Rachael concluded with some lessons the company has learned over the years.
Part 3 – Identifying risks, tools and corporate engagement
June 24, 3:30-5:00 pm – During our third webinar, with 25 participants, the theme was looked at from an investor perspective. We have given practical insight into how ACTIAM identifies deforestation on different products, with a focus on animal husbandry. Second was UN PRI, who discussed how investors can achieve more together. In closing, we discussed questions investors still have after this three-part webinar series.
Karina Carius de Barros, Responsible Investment Officer at ACTIAM, focused on the impact of investments on land use. After a summary of ACTIAM’s Responsible Investment policy, she went deeper into the goal that ACTIAM has set for itself: no more deforestation by 2030. It is an ambitious goal, which is not yet being achieved. Partnerships and innovative tools are essential to understand the impact of landscape changes and to achieve the goal. Karina explained how ACTIAM uses the Satelligence tool to identify changes in the landscape and discussed the challenges she faces, such as obtaining reliable data.
Tom Barron, Manager Stewardship at UN PRI, gave a comprehensive overview of what the organization has been working on with its members in recent years. As of 2017, it has set benchmarks, launched investor statements, formed manifestos and engaged. Secondly, he focused on what investors can focus on when talking to companies that are directly or indirectly linked to animal husbandry in Latin America. He concluded with the key findings from the conversations they conducted with their members
About the SRJS program
The Shared Resources Joint Solutions (SRJS) program is a strategic partnership between IUCN NL, WWF NL, De VBDO and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With SRJS we want to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs and civil society organizations in sixteen low and middle-income countries. The aim of the program is to guarantee climate resilience, water supply and food security by joining forces between the public and private sector.
