For the last six years, my work as a representative for the Retail Soy Group has focused on addressing deforestation in South America. Today I’m pleased to share our latest activity report on what we’ve been up to.
Our early years prioritised policy commitments, voluntary initiatives and certification uptake by working with civil society and implementation partners to define what good looked like in these areas. After a couple of years it became evident that voluntary mechanisms alone cannot make sustainable soy the market norm as progress began to visibly stall in 2024.
The publication of the new Retail Soy Group activity report discloses our work over the past couple of years, we can now see a clear shift from voluntary aspirations to demonstrable evidence of performance. This transition matches major regulatory shifts as due diligence legislation, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are scheduled to enter into force in 30 December 2026.
Over the 2024 and 2025 period, we have supported the Retail Soy Group to develop and scale practical tools to help retailers navigate this shifting landscape. For example, for the past two years we have contributed to new operational guidelines published by the Accountability Framework initiative in late 2025, which provide much greater clarity on how business can effect change. We also co-authored model deforestation-free contracting clauses with the Chancery Lane Project to help businesses secure requirements directly within procurement contracts. Furthermore, we provided direct case studies to United Kingdom and European Union policy makers to shape effective due diligence rules.
Despite these steps forward, major structural challenges remain across the industry. Embedded soy in livestock and feed supply chains continues to be a bottleneck. Retailers still face limited visibility and uneven supplier capability in these indirect supply routes. Exclusionary purchasing policies alone will not protect vulnerable landscapes, and we urgently need to scale long-term conservation incentives like the Responsible Commodities Facility to provide meaningful producer finance and landscape-level incentives. These initiatives need to also align with climate ambitions to ultimately unlock the budgets and engagement required to drive change.
As we look through 2026, the retail task is to embed these standards into procurement controls. Companies must be able to track clear performance indicators, verify supplier declarations and maintain absolute transparency regarding indirect supplier performance and risk.
The first half of this decade has focused on principles, commitments and tools. We have them now, so let’s use them.
How we can help you navigate your own deforestation-free approach to soy
We use our deep experience in Commodity Supply Chains, Climate, Nature & Resources, and Agriculture & Landscapes to help build more resilient businesses. We design data validation frameworks and trace indirect commodities back to origin through complex value chains. Our services help companies map opportunities and risks, resolve data gaps, and align commercial contracts ahead of upcoming legal enforcement deadlines.
