Trase - Intelligence for sustainable trade

⚠ The European People's Party Group in the European Parliament has proposed several amendments to the #EUDR including the introduction of a fourth “no risk” category to the country benchmarking system.  💡 In a new insight piece, Trase Co-Directors Helen Bellfield and Toby Gardner examine the criteria that countries would be required to meet to qualify for the proposed “no risk” category. They highlight that the amendments are not based on evidence and could breach free-trade rules. 🔎 Given the subjectivity of the proposed criteria, their lack of scientific rigour and the risk of inconsistencies with World Trade Organization rules, Trase strongly recommends that the #EU rejects all of these proposed amendments. 🌳 Instead, all stakeholders should focus on making best use of the one-year delay in the implementation of the regulation proposed by the European Commission. Read the insight here: https://lnkd.in/e8s9wWwB #Deforestation #EuropeanUnion #EuropeanCommission #EuropeanParliament

📢 Yesterday, Trase colleague Chris West - Deputy Director of Research at SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute York - attended the Food Matters Live conference at Emirates Old Trafford in #Manchester. He shared with attendees an overview of the current regulatory and policy landscape in the ingredients supply chain and joined a panel session on challenges to meeting new legislation such as the #EUDR. 🌳 Discussions touched on the importance of retailers having closer relationships with their commodity suppliers if zero-deforestation supply chains are to become a reality and how tools like Trase can support initial mapping of highest risk areas for attention. Increased supplier engagement is not only vital for enabling businesses to achieve regulatory compliance, but also provides opportunities to take action which goes further. #deforestation #europeanunion #sustainable

🗣️ Our colleague Chris West, Deputy Director for Research, SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute York - a Trase partner, is sharing insights about the latest regulations in the ingredients supply chain at Food Matters Live in Manchester. 🌿 The two-day conference  focuses on #food innovation trends, #sustainable sourcing and positive nutrition. ➡️ Register here - https://lnkd.in/erKFbkR6 - to hear from Chris on Tuesday, 26 November.

🌳 Deforestation in the Amazonian regions of #Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru is of increasing concern due to the expansion of cropland for soy, cocoa, maize, rice and cassava. This is according to a new report on the sub-regional drivers of deforestation in the #Amazon, released by WWF earlier this month in partnership with Trase, Chalmers University of Technology and SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute. 📊 Using data from the Deforestation Driver and Carbon Emissions (DeDuCE) model, the report also confirms that the expansion of #agriculture and forestry is the main direct driver of #deforestation across the Amazon region, responsible for the loss of 38 million hectares of #forest between 2001–2022. 🔎 Find out more about the report findings: https://lnkd.in/ettZ-3CF WWF Amazonía

📍 Osvaldo Pereira senior research associate at Trase, is attending the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) International Conference -  ‘Towards a Regenerative Transition’ - in Ghent, Belgium this week.  🌿 Focusing on regenerative soy #agriculture and innovative solutions to enhance #sustainable soil carbon sequestration, discussions have also explored the latest technology aimed at boosting productivity while protecting #nature and human rights. 🤝 The event has provided an incredible opportunity for Trase to connect with producers and companies operating in key global production regions, fostering collaboration to drive positive change across the #soy value chain.

📑 Today’s very narrow approval by the European Parliament of last minute EPP proposed amendments to the #EUDR is deeply concerning. It puts the implementation of this groundbreaking regulation into jeopardy, potentially sabotaging vital progress towards reversing and halting global #deforestation by 2030. 🔎 The most damaging of the approved amendments is the introduction of an additional ‘no risk’ category which has not faced the necessary scientific scrutiny, but could drastically affect how the Regulation applies to imports from many countries. The proposed criteria has the effect of masking deforestation and forest degradation by defining countries as “no risk” if there is a net gain in overall #forest cover - which could be driven by expansion of monoculture plantation forests. This amendment appears to be primarily aimed at protecting the interests of certain economic sectors within the EU (by effectively labeling most if not all #EU countries as no risk). This is guaranteed to undermine the regulation’s political legitimacy in the eyes of many countries outside Europe. 🌳 We urge the European Commission and Member States to do everything in their power to reject the EPP amendments and stand firm against the introduction of any further changes. Many member states, companies and financial institutions have repeatedly argued that regulatory certainty is urgently needed both to discourage further attempts to weaken the law and to encourage all supply chain actors to prepare for compliance. ⌛ The initial proposal from the Commission of an additional 12-month phase-in time was also approved by the European Parliament today. All efforts should now be focused on using this time effectively to ensure readiness for full implementation and ensure that there is no cause for further delay. #EuropeanParliament #EuropeanCommission

 🌿 Are you curious about the latest #sustainability developments in the food and drink industry? Join our colleague Chris West, Deputy Director for Research at SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute York - a Trase partner, on 26 November at Food Matters Live in Manchester to learn more about the sector’s regulatory landscape. 💡 Participate in discussions exploring the challenges and solutions to sustainable sourcing. More details here: https://lnkd.in/erKFbkR6

💼 #JobOpening | We’re #HIRING a data scientist to update and maintain supply chain and impact data on our priority commodities. If you have a strong background in data science and an interest in sustainability, we’d love to hear from you! We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and nationalities. 📍Stockholm, Sweden 📅17 November 🌍Work permit sponsorship 🔗 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/enT7TRGg #Sustainability #Datascience #Jobs

📢 Yani Wang, program manager, will join the SIANI - Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative’s Bangkok regional workshop on 13 November, 2024, for a session on ‘Ensuring healthy ecosystems for livelihoods and food security’. 💡 Yani will share insights on how Trase data and analysis can be harnessed by governments, companies and civil society to address #deforestation and build #sustainable supply chains. Register here for virtual access: https://lnkd.in/ep75dN2F

📑  A new technical brief launched by WWF at #COP16 provides the first-ever detailed region-wide picture of the agricultural commodities causing #deforestation at the subnational level across the #Amazon. At Trase we are proud to have collaborated with SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute, Chalmers University of Technology and WWF's Amazon Coordination Unit for the report - “Uncovering Sub-Regional Drivers of Deforestation in the Amazon: A Tool for Targeted Solutions”. 📊 Dr Chandrakant Singh, a researcher at Chalmers University of Technology (a Trase partner) and an author of the report, said: “This report highlights the importance of high-quality datasets in shaping accurate deforestation assessments and provides recommendations on improving data quality to strengthen these insights. By assessing the drivers behind #forest loss, we can enable targeted interventions that support #sustainable land-use practices and curb deforestation.” 💡 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eZxXuZw7 WWF Amazonía