Apical’s Post

Happy to share our latest joint effort with ISEAL, a paper considering how to make landscape and jurisdictional approaches effectively address critical sustainability issues holistically and at scale. For companies, landscape and jurisdictional action can complement supply-chain action to help ensure future sourcing security and create lasting impact beyond individual supply chains. This roadmap - hot off the press - focuses on how companies can credibly engage in or support landscape and jurisdictional efforts. It is based on a series of joint position papers from some key players in the landscape and jurisdictional practitioner community (CDP Better Cotton IDH Earthworm Foundation Environmental Defense Fund Proforest WWF Kaleka Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Tropical Forest Alliance Gold Standard and others) that aim to provide companies and the organisations that support them with accessible and consistent guidance for effective investment and action in landscapes and jurisdictions

During #ClimateWeekNYC, industry leaders highlighted the importance of collaboration, public-private partnerships, and catalytic financing to scale forest-positive initiatives, demonstrating that agricultural production and environmental protection can coexist. The Sustainable Landscapes Partnership, supported by WBCSD – World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Soft Commodities Forum, The Consumer Goods Forum’s Forest Positive Coalition, and Proforest, has invested $5.2 million to engage over 600 farms, restore nearly 19,000 hectares, and protect half a million hectares for sustainable production. Read [Commodity value chain actors unite for forest-positive Cerrado landscapes]: https://lnkd.in/eW-ztSex

📢It is a wrap! The European Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue took place yesterday in Brussels with over 300 participants attending the event. Held under the theme "Inclusive Pathways for Climate-smart Solutions," the dialogue explored how innovative and voluntary measures, such as public-private initiatives, certification, sourcing policies, and legislation can effectively support emissions reduction and how landscape approaches can help build climate resilience.  The dialogue emphasised inclusivity, stressing the importance of respecting the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders, particularly marginalised smallholder farmers, and the risks posed to the palm oil sector by climate change. Discussions on the European Union Deforestation Regulation shed light on the decades of work by the private sector that has set a foundation for legislation to build upon. A few highlights from the conference: 🎤 "The extensive palm oil replanting programs currently in the planning stages present a tremendous opportunity to optimize agronomy practices. This initiative promises a substantial payoff over the next 20 to 25 years for the palm oil sector, potentially leading to significantly increased yields and more efficient land use. It is crucial to ensure we plant the right trees in the right places to achieve these benefits." - Professor Ken Giller (Wageningen University & Research) 🎤 “We need to continue to work with the front-runners and help the rest catch up to such standards” Astrid Ladefoged, Head of Unit for Planetary Common Goods Universal Values and Environmental Security at DG Environment of the European Commission. Talking about the remaining challenges until implementation, she recognised that there have been efforts from the private sector to improve traceability and although there is still a lot to be done, implementation by the set timeline seems feasible. 🎤 “Traceability and transparency are not standalone solutions; they are essential tools that can be strategically deployed to drive the behavioural changes we need to achieve.” Anne Rosenbarger, Global Engagement Manager, World Resources Institute. Find out more in the Press Release: https://lnkd.in/evGHNwxX We thank all participants for this interesting dialogue and our co-organisers APAG - Oleochemicals Europe, FEDIOL, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) for making this event a success! #SPOD2024 #ClimatSmartSolutions #Smallholders #Inclusivity #PublicPrivateCollaboration #EUDR

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has greenlighted 48 FAO-led projects worth about $2.9 billion –$294 million in project financing and $2.6 billion in co-financing– that will play a pivotal role in fostering a sustainable agrifood systems transformation to end hunger and conserve the environment. The initiatives, benefitting 4.2 million people in five different regions globally, will restore more than 474,000 hectares of land; improve practices on over 24 million hectares of land and marine habitats; create and improve the management of over 2 million hectares of protected areas on land and sea; mitigate 133 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions; and remove 202 metric tons of hazardous agrochemicals. https://lnkd.in/djm5H_uM

Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue: Pathway Towards Climate-smart Solutions The Sustainable Palm Oil Dialogue (SPOD) 2024 Europe convened stakeholders in Brussels to advance sustainability in the palm oil sector. Organized by APAG Oleochemicals Europe, FEDIOL, IDH, and RSPO, the event focused on climate impacts and solutions, featuring speakers from the European Commission and the Indonesian Government. Key discussions included meeting the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) expectations and the importance of inclusive, regenerative business practices. The dialogue emphasized balancing voluntary initiatives and legislation to promote sustainable practices, with new EUDR guidelines anticipated before summer 2024. Read more: https://ow.ly/gxzt50S6rVt #SustainablePalmOil #ClimateSmartSolutions #EUDR #Sustainability #PalmOilIndustry #RSPO #EnvironmentalImpact #InclusiveGrowth #IDH

Please find my interview questions with AlProtein in the following post, and share with me your thoughts and ideas about Alternative Protein market and how it might influence the ESG landscape.

In 2023, Neste made a bold move by completely eliminating the use of conventional palm oil in our refineries. This wasn’t just a decision—it was a commitment to leading by example in the fight for biodiversity and environmental stewardship. By sourcing alternative raw materials, we’re proving that it’s possible to protect our planet while continuing to grow our business. #Biodiversity #SustainableFuture

Nature is the foundation of any business and society as a whole. All businesses depend on the essential services that nature provides. Through TNFD, we can systematically assess what these dependencies and impacts are, contributing to a nature positive future.

Is there clarity within your business on how to coordinate the links between your many social, environmental and financial goals? Our report ‘Integrating social and environmental sustainability’, produced with IDHand Mars, explains why this is so important - and how to do it. Explore the report: https://ow.ly/g4s150Qzhvh