Ranking the most influential companies driving tropical deforestation
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.
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
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.
