ZERO DEFORESTATION

Regenerate your supply chain with the EMMA method

1. DEFORESTATION IN THE WORLD

How have the world’s forests changed?

Between 1990 and 2020, about 178 million hectares of forest cover, an area three times the size of France, were lost worldwide. Let’s take a look at which countries are gaining, and which are losing forests. The breakdown of deforestation by region provided by FAO shows that nearly all of the global deforestation occurs in the tropics.

Most of it is driven by agricultural expansion for the production of goods such as soy, palm oil, beef, cocoa, and coffee.

The EU Commission is currently discussing new legislation – the Deforestation-free Products Regulation (EUDR)-  to halt deforestation associated with the production of specific agroforestry products that European citizens consume (known as indirect or embedded deforestation). Companies are targeted as possible ‘importers’ of deforestation and should thus prepare to improve the traceability and transparency of their supply chains.

Etifor is at the forefront of scientific research and consultancies on these topics. Explore our studies and the EMMA approach, the method we have conceived to support companies in the development of deforestation-free supply chain(s).

2. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ITALIAN RESPONSIBILITY

In 2017, the European Union (EU) was responsible for 16% of deforestation associated with international trade.

According to a recent study by WWF, the EU is the world’s second-largest ‘importer’ of tropical deforestation after China. Between 2005 and 2017, European Union imports of agroforestry commodities caused the loss of 3.5 million hectares of forest to make room for farmland (an average of 290 thousand hectares per year).

In the EU, 10 countries are responsible for almost 80% of deforestation linked to the import and consumption of tropical goods.

Among EU countries, Italy was the second-largest consumer of forest-risk commodities, being responsible for the embedded deforestation of almost 36,000 hectares each year. Soy and palm oil were the commodities traded by Europe and Italy with the largest embedded tropical deforestation, while beef and leather specifically played a key role in the Italian market. In 2021, Italy was the largest beef importer in the EU, with more than a third imported from Brazil.

Germany – 43.627 ha
Italy – 35.792 ha
Spain – 32.891 ha
The Netherlands – 29.515 ha
France – 26.275 ha
Belgio – 14.770 ha
Poland – 10.022 ha
Portugal – 7.129 ha
Denmark – 5.857 ha
Greece – 3.928 ha

Germany

Italy

Spain

The Netherlands

France

 Share of embedded deforestation per commodity per country

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3. EMMA AGAINST DEFORESTATION

EMMA is the approach developed by Etifor to support companies in developing deforestation-free supply chains.

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Explore the value chain

Explore the value chain

We explore value chains to gather, process, and analyze customer data and provide specific advice on the next steps to take to mitigate risks. We help you develop the right strategy for safer, more sustainable sourcing in compliance with the new European measure to combat deforestation.

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Map the impacts of your value chains

Map the impacts of your value chains

We assess the risk of direct or indirect deforestation in your value chains and define profiles of your suppliers. Additionally, we classify the risks and criticalities associated with the country you import from, the sector, or the product you trade to give you a comprehensive overview of priority actions.

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Mitigate risks with innovative tools

Mitigate risks with innovative tools

We support you in reducing and mitigating risks in your value chains through tools such as product and process certifications, field audits, and the search for new suppliers and strategic partners. We help you develop an efficient and structured due diligence system to save you time and monitor the management of your value chains and suppliers. Lastly, we offer a training course to help you understand how to apply the EUDR regulation by developing it.

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Progress and regenerate ecosystems

Advance and regenerate ecosystems

We assist you in planning the transition to new suppliers to ensure deforestation-free sourcing. We support you in becoming a Climate Positive company with our MARC approach, and finally, we help you narrate and communicate your journey, highlighting every step. If that’s not enough, we can also offer you the opportunity to embark on a Nature Positive path to improve your impacts on water and biodiversity as well.

CONTACT OUR EXPERTS
ELENA MASSARENTI
ELENA MASSARENTI