The declaration was also signed by a wide array of signatories such as the Colombian, UK and Norwegian governments, WWF, TNC, WRI, Unilever and Team Foods.
Colombia is the first country on the globe to present such a national agreement on deforestation (PDF, Spanish). The initiative will reaffirm Colombia's growing reputation as a sustainable tropical agricultural commodities provider.
Embracing the zero-deforestation commitment
Colombian companies will adapt their individual goals in line with this national commitment to eliminate deforestation in the palm oil supply chain. Joel Brounen, Solidaridad’s country director, emphasized,”This zero deforestation commitment is aligned with recently agreed new milestones for 2020 by the Sustainable Trade Platform of the palm oil sector.”
The monitoring of the declaration will be done by the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), a government agency of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia. The agency will compare forest data, production and supply information of the companies signing the agreement, providing a thorough analysis of the impacts of responsible palm oil production in the country.
Did you know:
- Since 2014, Solidaridad and the STP allies have implemented efforts to ensure the criteria of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) among 60,904 hectares.
- 117,840 tons of palm oil are currently certified under the RSPO criteria as a result of initiatives such as the Farmer Support Program.
- The agreement took place within the framework of the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA 2020) signature (PDF, Spanish) in Colombia.
Learn more about Solidaridad programmes for sustainable palm oil
Want to know more about Solidaridad’s efforts to reduce deforestation in the Colombian palm oil sector? Contact us!