RTRS Highlights 2022

Global Round Table and Membership

Going forward with the execution of the “Beyond 2020” RTRS Strategy | 2021 -2026

2022 has been a new year of milestones on the road to implementation of the "Beyond 2020" RTRS Strategy | 2021 – 2026, which was launched in June 2021, and brought along the roadmap that guides the strategic decisions within the Association in this six-year period.

As a key priority for the coming years, RTRS continued working to strengthen its role as a multistakeholder, consensus-based decision-making round table and a global reference for the soybean sector. In this period, the Association reached important stakeholders in Latin America, Europe and Asia, and was able to get in touch with different organizations in the soy value chain and engage in conversations to shape the global soy agenda.

This year, RTRS also strengthened its membership base as 22 new members joined the RTRS community. The Association reached over 200 members from more than 32 countries for the first time.

In this document, we describe the actions taken by RTRS and its key achievements in 2022 in line with this strategy.

Strengthening the membership base 22 NEW MEMBERS

RTRS objectives, mission, and values have boosted the commitment of organizations that promote sustainable development of soy production, trade, and use.

For organizations, becoming part of the RTRS community means taking opportunities for networking and dialogue that enable stakeholders to engage closer, and to be part of projects and innovations intended to promote sustainable supply chains.

Through the Association, the new members seek to promote transparency and traceability of the processes involved in their supply chains, thus ensuring sustainable and responsible production. Due to its reliability, which attests to an environmentally correct, socially fair, and economically feasible soy production, the new members are able to add value to their products to meet the growing demands for quality and sustainability.

19 Industry, Trade and Finance

2 Producers

1 Observing Member

The number of organizations joining the RTRS to connect and share their experiences with other actors in the sustainable soy value chain grows every day.

Learn more about the new organizations that have joined the global and multistakeholder roundtable in 2022.

Access the brief on new RTRS members here.

Meeting Points in 2022

In 2022 RTRS continued to promote meeting points to connect players in the soy value chain and to think and work together on strategies and face the new challenges imposed on the sector.

These are dynamic, open and inclusive spaces for dialogue, consensus, collaboration and actions, created to carry out RTRS mission: promote the production, trade and use of responsible soy.

Task Force Brazil

2 Meetings

April 29 & September 27

+70 participants

+35 organizations

São Paulo, Brazil

Task Force Argentina

A new space for multisectoral connection and dialogue

September 7

32 participants

+20 organizations

Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

Meeting Point "Seeding Common Ground"

November 22

125 participants

80 organizations from 16 countries

(49 RTRS members and 31 non-members)

Bayer Crop Science Campus, Monheim

am Rhein, Germany

29 Speakers

5 Sessions and 4 Interactive and networking moments.

Participation in government working groups and multisectoral platforms

In 2022, as a global reference point for the soybean sector, RTRS was invited to participate in several working groups and multisectoral platforms and met with key stakeholders.

DEFORESTATION REGULATION AGENDA

RTRS continues to be actively involved in the global deforestation regulation agenda, through meetings with EU and other international officials.

•European institutions

RTRS took an active role in the discussions leading to the adoption of the new EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products (Deforestation Regulation).

RTRS built a relationship with the European Commission unit in charge of the regulation under the Directorate General for the Environment (DG ENV). In order to ensure a holistic approach in other related policy areas, RTRS also met with the European Commission’s unit in charge of Company Law, responsible for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. These units are now aware of the credibility of RTRS and its certification scheme.

The Association also met with members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) to position itself as one of the most important voices of worldwide sustainable

production, sharing key knowledge about the soy sector and highlighting the high relevance of voluntary certification schemes when it comes to fighting deforestation.

Addressing individual EU member states as members of the EU Council, RTRS shared its position and arguments concerning the Deforestation Regulation with the Permanent Representations of Finland and of the Netherlands to the EU.

RTRS also met with the Food and Agriculture Attaché at Germany’s Permanent Representation to the EU.

Global level

RTRS joined the Session of the United Nations Forum of Forests, co-sponsored by the European Union and Costa Rica, entitled “Towards deforestation-free supply chains”. The event aimed to present the European Commission’s plan on Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests. RTRS pointed out the importance of adopting RTRS deforestation-free soy as a key step for companies to achieve deforestation-free supply chains.

•United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)

Following the engagement activities carried out since 2019, RTRS took part in the seminar about the “Public Consultation on implementing Due Diligence on forest risk commodities” organized by UK-Defra. Then, the Association submitted its contributions to the Public Consultation itself in March focusing on areas of expertise within certifications and addressed topics such as: due diligence system and evidence to inform; certification schemes and standards; calculation of volumes of commodities used and reporting.

Participation in government working groups and multisectoral platforms

BIODIVERSITY & COMMUNICATION

RTRS keeps closely involved in the different strategic meetings of the Working Group 4 (WG4) on Biodiversity and Communication organized by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV) and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).

In the framework of this initiative and in order to communicate the actions taken, RTRS was invited to speak at the public webinar “Tackling biodiversity loss by communicating the links between biodiversity & consumption”, about the role of communication in changing consumption patterns.

Furthermore, RTRS attended the WG4 face-to-face meeting in Vilm, Germany, to facilitate networking and a closer exchange among the WG4 members; to discuss about best practices and success stories in raising awareness on biodiversity in the context of sustainable/responsible consumption and define new objectives of the WG for 2023 and beyond.

Since 2020, RTRS has been part of WG4 and actively participates in its initiatives, including the Communication ToolkitConnecting Consumption with Biodiversity, which was launched in April 2022. This material aims to provide tools to communicate the impact of consumption on biodiversity and ecosystem services, in order to inspire others to take action to achieve positive impacts on biodiversity and encourage responsible consumption.

Participation in government working groups and multisectoral platforms

PARTICIPATION IN MULTILATERAL PLATFORMS

• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) & Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

RTRS was an active participant in the OECD-FAO multistakeholder expert working group and contributed to the development of the OECD-FAO Practical Business Tool on Deforestation, Forest Degradation and Due Diligence in Agricultural Supply Chains. The tool explains how businesses can implement their framework for risk-based due diligence to identify and mitigate deforestation and forest degradation impacts in agricultural supply chains.

• United Nations (UN) | Global Compact

RTRS has been a member of the Global Compact since 2014, the voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to undertake partnerships in support of UN goals.

As part of its commitment, the Association presented its fourth report Communication of Engagement (COE) in which it periodically informs and describes the actions the Association carries out in line with the UN Global Compact and its Principles. In this case, it was the COE for the period 2019-2020.

Additionally, and as a key player in the soy sector, RTRS was part of the Working Group - Sustainability and Communication Projects | Global Compact Brazil.

NETWORKING WITH NATIONAL INITIATIVES

RTRS was invited to participate in various meetings and activities, including webinars organized by national initiatives, where the Association presented the current certification options and gave an overview of the new developments. RTRS had also the opportunity to present their Chain of Custody models for physical supply chains on responsible soy and explained how companies can further include them in their supply chain. The European National Soy Initiative (ENSI), UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya-EFECA and Danish Initiative for Ethical Trade (DIEH) are among these initiatives.

RTRS began a relationship with CIARA-CEC (Argentinian Chamber of Oil Industry & Cereal Exporters Centre) and was later summoned to form part of VISeC –Monitoring Platform in Gran Chaco led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA), Peterson and CIARA-CEC. The initiative, in line with the new EU Regulation on Deforestation, promotes the reduction of negative environmental impacts of soybean production, protection of native forests and soil conservation in the region, and brings together the main players in the Argentine supply chain.

Participation in government working groups and multisectoral platforms

NETWORK COLLABORATION

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Brazil and RTRS, signed in 2021, a series of sectoral meetings focused on the region of MaToPi –Maranhão (MA), Tocantins (TO) and Piauí (PI) was launched to facilitate networking and cooperation between players in the soy chain, as well as to discuss future actions to promote the growth of responsible soy in the region.

I “Sustainable Soy Dialogues for the Itaquí Corridor''

September

5 Speakers

62 participants

II “Sustainable Soy Dialogues for the Itaquí Corridor'' - Logistics

November

5 Speakers

91 participants

III “Sustainable Soy Dialogues for the Itaquí Corridor''

December

5 speakers

50 participants

São Luís - Maranhão, Brazil

Reinforcing networks in Asia & South América

RTRS continued exploring opportunities for engagement and synergy for the future of responsible soy.

• Engagement opportunities in Paraguay

RTRS visited different organizations and stakeholders of the Paraguayan value chain, to reconnect and reinforce the relationship with strategic actors.

The Association was received by PAYCO - Paraguay Agricultural Corporation, DAP - Desarrollo Agrícola del Paraguay and NGO Fundación Moises Bertoni. The Association also visited the Iruña SAIC and Kimex SRL farms and learned about their RTRS-certified sustainable agricultural practices.

This visit was also an opportunity for engagement and dialogue with representatives of the local grain financial sector, producers, exporters and traders, including the Paraguayan Chamber of Grain and Oilseed Exporters and Traders (CAPECO), the Paraguayan Chamber of Grain and Oilseed Processors (CAPPRO) and the Sustainable Finance Roundtable.

These meetings are intended to promote RTRS certification as a solution that can contribute to deforestation-free supply chains; engage with individual

producers, cooperatives and producer associations and promote different RTRS supply chain models in South America.

• Fostering the connection in India

RTRS met with relevant stakeholders of the value chain in the country, such as Vrutti and Madhya Bharat Consortium of Farmer Producers Company Limited (MBCFPCL) and with five Group Managers: Noble Ecotech, Arvind Limited, ISH Agritech, Haritprakash Biocare, and Landmark Agri Exports.

The Association participated in meetings with stakeholders in the soy supply chain, including ADM, Patanjali Foods, Control Union, Adani Wilmar, WWF, Myrada, SOPA Soybean Processors Association of India, Arya Warehousing, Madhya Bharat, FPO Federation Bhopal, GIZ, and FPO Damoh.

RTRS also visited fields in Bangalore under the support of Catalyst Foundation, soybean and corn fields in Dewas and farms in Bhopal owned by the Landmark Agrip group.

These meetings are intended to consolidate certified production, promote the advantages of group certification and family farms, and properly connect supply and demand in India.

Certification

Evolution of RTRS global certified production

1,753,325 ha

6,031,903 tons of RTRS certified soy worldwide*

*This number reflects the total certified production reported as of January 31, 2023 according to available audit reports. The final total for 2022 will be duly reported in the RTRS 2022 Management Report in June/July 2023.

RTRS global certified producers

RTRS Chain of Custody Certification

In 2022, 184* new sites in Brazil (165), Germany (2), India (5), Japan (3), Paraguay (1) and The Netherlands (8) were certified against the Chain of Custody Standard; this number includes 15 ports. To date, there are 366 sites certified to receive, process and trade RTRS-certified physical soy.

*This number reflects the total certified production reported as of January 31, 2023 according to available audit reports. The final total for 2022 will be duly reported in the RTRS 2022 Management Report in June/July 2023.

Paraguay

3 Companies

LDC Paraguay S.A.

Bunge Paraguay S.A.

Pedro Hosttler

Sites 9

Ireland

Companies 3

Moy Park L.T.D.

R&H Hall uc

John Thompson & Sons Limited

Sites 5

France

Companies 1

Cofco International France SAS

Sites 4

The Netherlands

Companies 3

Bunge Netherlands BV

Zesty B.V.

Cargill BV, Zaanlandse Olieraffinaderij Sites 19

Germany

Companies 2

ADM Hamburg Aktiengesellschaft

J.MÜLLER Weser GmbH & Co. KG

Sites 6

Japan

Companies 3

Nisshin Shokai CO., LTD.

Shoda Shoyu CO.,LTD. Kanematsu Corporation

Sites: 3

Brazil

Companies 19

Amaggi Exportacao e Importacao

Cargill Agricola S.A.

SAAG - Sociedade de Armazenamiento e Agricultura Limitada

Cataratas do Iguacu Produtos

Organicos LTDA

Vegetallis Indústria e Comércio

Chile

Companies 1

Camilo Ferrón Chile S.A.

Sites 1

Argentina

Companies 12

Aceitera Chabás S.A.I.C.

Aceitera General Deheza S.A.

Molinos Agro S.A.

T6 Industrial S.A.

Kumagro S.A.

Tecnocampo S.A.

Alimentos de Soja S.A.

COFCO International Argentina S.A.

Bunge Argentina S.A.

Varteco Química Puntana S.A.

Viterra Argentina S.A.

LDC Argentina S.A.

Sites 16

Turkey

Companies 1

Sodrugestvo Turkey Tarim

TAS. ITH. IHR. TIC. A.S.

Sites 1

Louis Dreyfus Company

Bunge Alimentos S.A.

General Mills Brasil Alimentos Ltda

COFCO Brazil Overseas LTDA

COFCO International Brasil LTDA

Humberg Agribrasil Comércio e Exportação de Grãos S.A.

ADM do Brasil

ADM do Brasil - (Fábrica Rondonópolis)

ADM do Brasil LTDA (Fábrica 365)

ADM do Brasil - Ipameri

ADM do Brasil - Porto de Santos

CJ Selecta Choc

INBRA Industrias Químicas

Louis Dreyfus Commodities Brasil S.A.

Sites 287

Uruguay

1 Companies

Mibamar S.A.

Sites 1

Italy

Companies 2

Cereal Docks Marghera SRL

Cereal Docks SPA

Sites 3

India

Companies 7

Kriti Nutrients Limited

Adani Wilmar Limited

AVI Agri Business LTD

Vippy Industries Ltd

Shalimar Nutrients Private Limited

Maharashtra Oil Extractions Pvt Ltd

Prestige Feed Mills Limited

Sites 8

Thailand

Companies 2

Thai Vegetable Oil Public Limited Company

Thanakorn Vegetable Oil Products Co.,Ltd.

Sites 3

First 600k tons of RTRS-certified corn

RTRS Standard for Responsible Corn Production was launched in December 2021. Most of the sustainability requirements set out in RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production are applicable to corn – an important decision of RTRS to move forward with the integration of a soy/corn certification system.

Between August and December, 12 RTRS soybean producers certified their corn production against RTRS Standard for Responsible Corn Production (RTRS Corn Standard). They are Agropecuaria Dechamps S.R.L, Caldenes

S.A., Francisco Sellart S.A., Hijas de Juan A Harriet S.A., Juan José Blanchard, S y D La Fuente, San Félix S.A., San Juan del Totoral S.A., Tecnocampo S.A. and Viluco S.A., from Argentina, SLC Agrícola SA from Brazil, and Pradoten

S.A., from Uruguay. They represent in total 100,337 hectares and 653,153 tons of certified corn.

The first experiences in RTRS corn certification confirm the value of creating synergies and opportunities with producers and demonstrate it is feasible to capitalize on the sustainability achievements made by soy certification and to continue the sustainable production process by extending soybean certification to a rotation crop.

Brazil 489,827

Uruguay 10,144 76,273

1,699

TOTAL 653,153 100,337

Click here to access the release.

RTRS EU RED technical documents re-approved by the European Commission

In 2021, after reviewing and adapting the relevant documents, RTRS applied for and successfully completed the technical process to obtain the recognition of the RTRS biofuel documents (known as the RTRS EU RED), pursuant to the new criteria and scope established by the European Commission's Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (EU RED).

The EU RED sets out criteria for the import into the European Union (EU) of raw material (as soy), to ensure that biofuel production is sustainable and environmentally friendly. The RTRS certification system was recognized by the EU RED before, at two points in time, in 2011 and 2017; and this year, the European Commission again recognized that RTRS EU RED technical documents meet the standards of credibility, transparency, independent auditing and appropriate methodological requirements. Once the re-approval was confirmed, the documents were approved by the Association’s members by Written Resolution 1-2022.

Thus, RTRS EU RED documents allow organizations, producers and industry to prove that they are in a position to offer soy and soy by-products to the European biofuel market.

New National Interpretations for Argentina and Brazil

Following the launch of the new version of RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production V.4.0 in December 2021, the Association began the process of multisectoral review and development of the National Interpretations of Argentina and Brazil in 2022.

First, the revision of the Brazilian National Interpretation V4.0 was carried out in April 2022 during the first meeting of the year of Task Force Brazil. The meeting was held in São Paulo and included the participation of more than 30 representatives of Brazilian soybean sector organizations.

In September, as part of the first meeting of the Argentine Task Force, the Argentine National Interpretation V4.0 was revised in Rosario, Santa Fe. On this occasion, more than 30 representatives from 15 different organizations from all over the country participated in the debate and the drafting of the new Argentine National Interpretation.

Finally, RTRS Executive Board approved the new versions of the national interpretations of both countries at its meeting last November 24. The

documents are publicly available on RTRS website and are ready for implementation.

→To access the Argentina National Interpretation V4.0 click here.

→To access the Brazilian National Interpretation V4.0 click here. .

Evolution of uptake of RTRS-certified material

In 2022, uptake of RTRS certified material increased by 7% compared to 2021. Of the total certified material adopted (5,304,639 tons), 522,880 were physical flow - Mass Balance and 4,781,759 RTRS Credits Supporting Responsible

69 new adopters of RTRS-certified material

Below are the names of some of the new companies adopting RTRS certified material:

In 2022, 69 companies from 29 countries adopted RTRS certified material for the first time. This was an increase of 9% over 2021.

They adopted 1,256,803 tons of RTRS-certified material in total

(1,245,033 of RTRS Credits Supporting Responsible Soy and 11,770 tons of Mass Balance).

Opportunities

RTRS presented the New Conversion Factor System and relaunched the Soy and Corn Footprint Calculator

Once again RTRS in partnership with the Argentinian Agribusiness and Food Centre (CEAg) of the Austral University and UK-based sustainability consultants 3Keel, created the world’s first comprehensive source of conversion factors for corn. Yet another reliable investigation - this time for the most important cereal in terms of global production - has enabled us to upgrade our Soy Footprint Calculator to the RTRS Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator.

With the RTRS Corn Standard already in practice since 2021, RTRS was able to introduce the Corn Conversion Factor System and the new Footprint Calculator to estimate the equivalent volume of soy and corn used during the manufacturing process of products people consume.

The Association is continuously improving their technology package, updating, and upgrading their tools and adding new crops to expand the knowledge from the RTRS certification schemes to other oils, seeds and grains, and to take a step beyond soy.

Try the new RTRS Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator here.

We invite you to relive the presentation of the New Corn Conversion Factor System and relaunch of the Soy & Corn Footprint Calculator in the webinar held last October 24. Click here and watch the recorded webinar available in our Youtube channel.

Roadmap to Regenerative Agriculture

RTRS commissioned an analysis from Peterson Project Solutions Americas to understand the elements, concepts and practices currently classified as Regenerative Agriculture. The research compared the main elements, concepts and practices used in Regenerative Agriculture with the Principles & Criteria of the current RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production, and according to the study, today RTRS certification already includes a great amount of those.

108 indicators of RTRS production standard were matched against around a dozen elements, concepts and practices that make up the essence of regenerative agriculture: biodiversity, avoiding deforestation, conservation of natural habitats, fertilizer and pesticide use, cover-cropping adoption, tillage management, crop rotation, afforestation, manure/compost application, soil sampling, pollution prevention, renewable energy, emissions verification for greenhouse gases, intercropping, and irrigation.

During the Meeting Point: "Seeding Common Ground", hosted in Germany, the Association held a session entitled "Regenerative Agriculture", where the contributions of RTRS production standard to regenerative agriculture, its elements, concepts and practices, were preliminary introduced.

The analysis revealed that RTRS’ current standard includes a significant number of regenerative agricultural practices, which means close alignment in many areas, and that with more development, such alignment could be made even stronger.

There was strong alignment on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and halting deforestation, while in other areas, like intercropping, rainwater harvesting and other methods of irrigation, there is still room for improvement.

Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

Report recognizes RTRS as an important contributor to the SDGs.

The Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in collaboration with Preferred by Nature published a report which recommends that companies become members of the Association, as this will help them advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and keep updated with the latest trends in promoting the production and use of responsible soy. The document is part of the university's efforts to support companies in their transition to sustainable agriculture.

The Report stated the alignment between the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production and the SDGs and concluded that RTRS makes important contributions to the SDGs thanks to its holistic model.

The benchmark proves that every SDG is aligned with at least one RTRS principle, while most SDGs match with at least two RTRS principles, indicating strong alignment. The Report specifically points out that RTRS makes a particularly remarkable contribution to the SDGs ‘zero hunger’, ‘clean water and sanitation’, ‘decent work and economic growth’, and ‘life on land’. RTRS also shows a significant commitment to the goals ‘no poverty’, ‘reduced

inequalities’, ‘sustainable cities and communities’, and ‘peace, justice and strong institutions’.

With the implementation of the "Beyond 2020" RTRS Strategy, 2022 was another year full of challenges and opportunities for the transformation of the soybean value chain.

We know that an enormous though motivating work lies ahead, and we believe that together we can carry this strategy forward and take responsibility to multiply our future impacts and be drivers of sustainability, helping achieve environmental goals and targets.

In 2023, RTRS will continue promoting more responsible ways of production, trade and use of soy through the cooperation and open dialogue of soy key stakeholders worldwide. We invite you to keep taking action on the needs of a growing global demand for sustainable soy that calls us to meet on common ground.