IUCN Launches Guide to Restoring Landscapes in Supply Chains
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched a guide in collaboration with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) intended to support agribusinesses aiming to tackle land degradation in their supply chains and scale investments into landscape restoration.
Structured in two parts, the first part of the guide outlines why it is important for agribusinesses to engage in nature-positive practices and why landscape restoration is one of the most effective solutions to tackling issues related to land degradation. Part two then outlines the key steps for agribusinesses to consider in order to develop a strong business case for restoration, presenting some concrete examples, steps and tools to support companies throughout the process.
EU: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
On June 1, 2023, the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which requires in-scope companies to conduct due diligence on, and take responsibility for, human rights abuses and environmental harm throughout their global value chains.
Highlights:
- Due diligence must be integrated into the way companies are managed
- Addressing child labor, slavery, labor exploitation, pollution, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss
- Fines of at least 5% of a company’s net worldwide turnover if they do not comply
EU: Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive, Delegated Act
The European Commission released on June 9, 2023, a series of proposed changes to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the rules and requirements for certain companies to report on sustainability-related impacts, opportunities and risks under the EU’s upcoming Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive (CSRD). The Commission’s proposals were released as a draft Delegated Act, along with a consultation requesting feedback on the new rules, which ended on July 7, 2023.
The European Commission adoption is planned for second quarter 2023.
EU: Deforestation Free Products Regulation
The new regulation on deforestation and forest degradation entered into force on June 29, 2023. The covered commodities are cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood and their derivative products. As per the agreement, all operators, including non-SME traders, are required to conduct due diligence before placing the relevant products on the market or exporting them. Operators are prohibited from placing these products on the market or exporting them without first submitting a due diligence statement. Operators infringing the regulation will face certain penalties.
Within one year of the Regulation’s entry into force, the Commission is required to evaluate and, if deemed appropriate, present a legislative proposal to expand the scope of the Regulation to cover other wooded land. Additionally, within two years of the Regulation’s entry into force, the Commission should evaluate and, if deemed appropriate, present a legislative proposal to extend the scope of the Regulation to other natural ecosystems, such as grasslands, peatlands, and wetlands, which have high carbon stocks and biodiversity value. The Commission is also tasked with assessing the need and feasibility of expanding the scope of the Regulation to include additional commodities within two years of its entry into force.
EU: Towards Sustainable Food Consumption
The EU Group of Chief Scientific Advisors recently released a scientific opinion aimed at promoting sustainable food consumption. The goal of the opinion is to address the barriers preventing consumers from adopting sustainable and healthy diets, ultimately fostering a shift towards sustainability in the food environment.
The scientific opinion puts forth three key recommendations:
- Make healthy and sustainable diets easy and affordable for consumers.
- Provide reliable information about the environmental and health impacts of different foods to encourage informed and sustainable decision-making across the food system.
- Implement new interventions to enhance the availability and accessibility of products that support healthy and sustainable diets.
As part of the outlined recommendations, the Chief Scientific Advisors have proposed specific interventions, one of which is the restriction of EU imports of food commodities from regions where food production leads to significant environmental damage. In this sense, the Chief Scientific Advisors states the following: “It is necessary to assess the feasibility and the pros and cons of restricting EU imports of foods from biodiversity-rich and carbon-dense ecosystems, and water-demanding crops such as nuts and fruits and vegetables produced in water-scarce areas; foods produced with pesticides that are banned in the EU; and fish and other seafood that is sourced from unsustainably managed stocks. Some of these restrictions are already covered by the new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) on deforestation-free products, but its scope could be progressively extended.”
USA: New Salinity Management Guide for Almond Growers
The Almond Board of California, in collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, has developed the Salinity Management Guide for Almond Growers. This guide is designed to provide valuable information and guidance to almond growers regarding salinity management practices. The Guide is available online along with a variety of other tools for growers.
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