Ranking the most influential companies driving tropical deforestation

Every six seconds, an area of rainforest the size of a football pitch is destroyed to make way for the production of commodities such as soy, beef and palm oil. Our latest assessment of the 500 biggest companies in these supply chains - and the financial institutions that fund them - found that almost half did not have any commitments to prevent deforestation.

Explore the rankings

One million plus people demand EU legislation to protect forests

More than 1.1 million people have urged the European Union (EU) to introduce due diligence legislation for companies in forest-risk supply chains, in the largest-ever response to an EU public consultation on an environmental issue

Teaser image:

Illustration of fashion models and deforestation

Through the looking glass: the hidden deforestation in the fashion industry

16 September 2020

We take an in-depth look at the deforestation commitments of some of the world’s biggest clothing companies sourcing leather and cellulose, and consider what needs to happen to ensure our wardrobes are deforestation-free in this long read.

Fuelling the fires: why investors need to do more to protect the Amazon

The scale of last year’s fires in the Amazon triggered a global reaction. In an important statement in September 2019, 235 investors* with over US $16 trillion in assets under management demanded action from companies linked to deforestation. Since then, some investors have continued to use their leverage to engage with exposed companies and positive steps have been made. But now investors need to embed this active stance in publicly-available deforestation policies – just as they have asked companies to do in their statement. Our latest briefing assesses whether those investors have followed through and introduced a deforestation policy for their own investments.

Image:

Deforestation: Christian Braga for Greenpeace

Unpacking the deforestation risk in your supermarket shop

The Amazon is burning, but did you know that the fires are linked to everyday items in your shopping basket? Find out more with our explainer

Read the full explainer here

Image:

Shopping basket showing items and commodities the don't have policies on

View the latest annual report

As we start a new decade, we face a climate emergency and a crisis in nature, illustrated all too vividly by the 2019 fires in the Amazon. Ending forest loss is essential to address these crises, yet the main driver of tropical deforestation is demand for agricultural commodities. The Forest 500 2019 annual report finds that despite ambitious commitments to end deforestation in agricultural commodity supply chains by 2020, the lack of any action by almost half of the most influential companies and financial institutions in forest-risk supply chains is preventing sector-wide change.

Download a copy of the 2019 report

Image: