Benchmark Deforestation and Conversion-free Soy in Europe

On behalf of WWF Germany and IUCN NL Profundo developed a benchmarking report which compares the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation Soy Sourcing Guidelines (FEFAC SSG) and 20 Voluntary Standard Systems (VSS) against a set of 49 basic provisions and 11 additional requirements that cover the most important sustainability topics in the soy industry. Assessment criteria focus on deforestation and ecosystem conversion, landscapes and biodiversity, social issues and human rights, traceability, and governance and assurance. They are based on EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi) Core Principles, the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), FEFAC SSG, and WWF conservation agenda. Almost all standards have become more robust since 2019, when the previous benchmark was published. 20 of them already go beyond legality in their no-deforestation requirements, and 17 also cover other ecosystems beyond forests. Despite the general improvement in all standards, independent multi-stakeholder initiatives outperform corporate schemes across an array of environmental and social criteria and are better prepared for the EUDR. The report also showed that voluntary standards are part of a bigger toolbox for companies. They can be used for compliance with legislative regulations, but in fact offer so much more: comprehensive ecological and social requirement that can help companies to take on their responsibility for understanding their supply chains and making them more sustainable for the benefit of our societies and the environment. Based on the conversations with the standard holders, we already see that those who have an ambition to become EUDR-compliant are actively adapting their requirements and implementation guidelines. To better reflect this process and its outcomes, this benchmark will be updated on the EUDR-readiness in the first half of 2024.