RTRS Highlights 2023

RTRS

HIGHLIGHTS 2023 Review of our key achievements

CONTENTS

1 2 3 4

GLOBAL ROUND TABLE AND MEMBERSHIP RTRS CERTIFICATION

MARKET DEVELOPMENT

ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

2

1

Global Round Table and Membership

03

1.

Global Round Table and Membership UNITED KINGDOM The Compleat Food Company (Industry, Trade and Finance)

Strengthening the membership base

NETHERLANDS 14Nature (Civil Society Organisation)

New RTRS Members

DENMARK Baltic Control Certification (Observer)

In 2023, we welcomed 12 new members to RTRS from 9 different countries.

3 Industry, Trade and Finance 2 Producers 3 Civil society organisations 4 Observing members Find out more about the new members.

BELGIUM Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health – Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University (Observer)

UNITED STATES Adient PLC (Industry, Trade and Finance) BRAZIL Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Producer) BTG Pactual Commodities S.A. (Industry, Trade and Finance) Produzindo Certo (Observer)

SWITZERLAND Sierentz & Cie Sàrl (Industry, Trade and Finance)

ARGENTINA Suriyaco S.A. (Producer) Gapgreen S.R.L. (Observer)

ITALY Cereal Docks SPA (Industry, Trade and Finance)

04

1.

Global Round Table and Membership

Your seat at the table New membership fee structure In 2022, RTRS members approved a new membership fee structure to encourage producer associations, RTRS-certified producers and local and international civil society organisations to join the round table.

We want to increase membership to enable more RTRS producers and key organisations to represent the sector and participate in the decision-making process of the agricultural global supply chain.

The new membership fee structure was introduced in January 2023, following approval by RTRS members through Written Resolution No 1- 2022, in accordance with article 39(4) of the RTRS Statutes.

Access the new membership fee structure here.

05

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Global Round Table and Membership

Consolidating the role of the round table Engagement with European Commission (EC) – Multistakeholder Platform on Deforestation and Forest Degradation As a member of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform on deforestation and forest degradation, RTRS was a speaker in the ‘Early adopters’ session.

The Association presented the progress of the RTRS Chain of Custody Standard Reshaping.

RTRS also took part in outreach meetings with the Members of the European Parliament on the Green Claims Directive.

These focused on introducing RTRS and learning about the scope of the Directive.

RTRS also met members of the Directorate in Brussels, Belgium, focussing on updates on its implementation.

Additionally, RTRS met with the International Relations officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment and with members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

06

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Global Round Table and Membership

Participation in multilateral platforms – United Nations (UN) | Global Compact As a key player in the soy sector, RTRS was part of the Working Group – Sustainability and Communication Projects, Global Compact Brazil. The Association also participated in two working groups, one about regenerative agriculture and the other about traceability.

– Gender Responsive Standards – GRS (Initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNECE) As a signatory of the United Nations Declaration to promote gender equality, the Association was involved in various bi-monthly activities, working groups and proposals put forth by UNECE to refining approaches towards a gender-responsive standard development and implementation to contribute to a more sustained and inclusive growth, necessary for reducing inequality.

– Working Group 4 (WG4) on Biodiversity and Communication | German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV) and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) In the third year of RTRS participation, the WG4 working group is expanding its scope.

In the future, it will be known as the 'Biodiversity & Consumption' working group. The WG4 will explore the role of sustainable consumption in mitigating the impact of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem services, while actively promoting actions to protect and enhance them.

7

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Global Round Table and Membership

Reinforcing networks in Asia & South America Asia – China China is exploring how to continue effectively transitioning to sustainable imports of agricultural commodities. RTRS was invited to speak at webinars, where it presented the certification scheme and outlined how the voluntary standard can be part of the solution to reducing deforestation and conversion.

Between April and August RTRS was part of several different conversations: • Spoke in the ‘EU – China online workshop on deforestation-free supply chains’ hosted by the EU (European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, EU Commission and Directorate General for the Environment - DG ENV) • Was a keynote speaker in a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) China webinar named ‘Sustainability Tools to promote forest friendly supply chain.’1 • Presented for the German market in the webinar ‘China green value chains’ hosted

by China Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (Ministry of Ecology & Environment), supported by Client Earth and BellaTerra.

1 For further information, it is recommended to watch the linked webinar 08

1.

Global Round Table and Membership

South America • RTRS and the Confederation of American Associations for Sustainable Agriculture (CAAPAS), the organisation that groups local no-till organisations in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico Paraguay and Uruguay, met to foster the role RTRS plays as a link between producers and communicate the positive impact that certified soy production has for both carbon balance and regenerative agriculture.

• In April, the Association held the RTRS Chain of Custody Workshop in Puerto Varas, Chile. It focused on aquaculture stakeholders. Representatives of the salmon feed supply chain were present including CJ Selecta (RTRS member dedicated to the manufacture of products derived from soybeans with a focus on the aquaculture sector); Kabsa S.A. (Chilean manufacturer of proteins and oils used as raw materials for animal feed); and 40 representatives from the Chilean aquaculture sector such as Ewos, Nutreco,

Biomar, Salmones Antártica, Los Fiordos, Vitapro and Skretting.

• Also in April, RTRS was part of the ‘Gran Chaco Trip’ to Tucumán, Argentina, in a project led by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Solidaridad and Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA) to promote conversion free responsible soy production in this risk area. The field trip visited both certified farms and farms exploring certification to learn more about the impact of certification. Participants included the Fundación Proyungas from Argentina and representatives of the Dutch Agriculture Network for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

production and consumption, geopolitical dynamics and environmental trends in the international market.

• In November, RTRS participated in the Danish Study Trip, organised by Danish Soy Alliance & WWF Brazil. The trip included a visit to an RTRS-certified farm close to Brasilia and a workshop organised

by WWF.

• RTRS took part in ‘Towards a sustainable food system: Challenges and opportunities’ – an event organised by FVSA and WWF. The initiative aims to analyse the role of Argentina in the global context of 09

1.

Global Round Table and Membership

Network collaboration As part of the 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) in Brazil and RTRS, a series of meetings (webinars and in-person conference) were organised, which focused on the region of MaToPi – Maranhão (MA), Tocantins (TO) and Piauí (PI). These were launched in 2022 to facilitate networking and cooperation between players in the soy chain, as well as to discuss future actions to promote the growth of sustainable agricultural practices in the region.

As part of this initiative we organised two meetings:

– In August ‘III Sustainable Soy Dialogues for the Itaqui Corredor’ Webinar held with GIZ and CLI – Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura to promote sustainability of the Itaqui – Maranhão Corridor in Brazil. There were 57 attendees from 30 organisations across industry, NGOs and the German food/retail market.

The event brought together the most relevant actors in the region's value chain to explore the existing actions and initiatives that promote sustainable approaches and discuss the role of each. It also encouraged analysis of possible lines of action and joint working to develop a new common agenda.

– November 29/30 ‘Sustainable Dialogues for the Itaqui Corridor’ meeting The second edition of the in-person meeting took place in the city of São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.

10

1.

Global Round Table and Membership

Meeting Points Our meeting points provided opportunities for members and non-members to collaborate, share ideas and discuss challenges facing our sector.

RTRS Field trip 2023 to Buenos Aires, Argentina March 17/18 Arrecifes, Buenos Aires, Argentina 20 participants RTRS and the Belgian Feed Association (BFA) organised a field trip to Arrecifes in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina to connect with the local supply chain and further their understanding of sustainable soy production. After the site visits, certified producers shared their own perspectives about RTRS certification and had the chance to listen to the testimony of students from Martin Fierro Agrotechnology School in Arrecifes.

11

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Global Round Table and Membership

Meeting Points RTRS Meeting Point 2023 Annual International Conference October 4/5 175 attendees 14 countries 90 organisations 44 RTRS members and 46 non-members 7 sessions/panels 28 speakers

The Conference in Brazil was a chance for all the players in the soybean and corn value chain to get closer to the ground, and get to know first hand the valuable work of producers, while achieving a holistic perspective of the entire supply chain.

It was an opportunity to connect soybean demand and sourcing, learn about the latest solutions and innovations, and create collaborations with others in the value chain. Continued collaboration, learning and connections will enable the soy supply chain to comply with the requirements of the current demanding global agenda.

RTRS Field trip 2023 to Uberlândia, Brazil October 6/7 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil 33 participants 25 organisations 8 different countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Paraguay, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) After the Annual International Conference, this optional field trip allowed people to learn more about the impact of RTRS certification and discover more about the sustainable supply chain, from the origin of soy and corn to their processing and distribution.

Stay connected and visit the RTRS website to access soon the Meeting Point and Field Trip 2023 reports, reliving every detail from each meeting.

12

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Global Round Table and Membership

Task Forces

Task Force Brazil May 4 45 representatives (35 in-person, 10 online) 26 organisations

Task Force Paraguay July 18 20 representatives 13+ organisations

Task Force Argentina August 22 38 representatives 20+ organisations

Task Force Brazil held its established

meeting in Sao Paulo, providing updated information on the projects carried out by the association. It was an excellent opportunity to delve into prominent sustainability initiatives in the country.

Task Force Paraguay held its first meeting, while Task Force Argentina held

its second. These two events brought together producers, agribusiness companies, civil associations, certification bodies and implementers. Both meetings provided a space for connection and dialogue on the most relevant issues and challenges of the multisectoral agenda in Paraguay and Argentina.

13

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Global Round Table and Membership

New National Interpretations for Paraguay Paraguay is the sixth largest soybean producer and the fourth largest soybean exporter in the world. It is also the fourth largest producer of RTRS-certified soybeans, with an average of 96,787 tons and 37,795 hectares of annual production in the last 4 years. There are 7 sites* certified under the RTRS Chain of Custody Standard, including 4 ports authorised to receive, process and trade RTRS soybeans.

Following the launch of the new version of RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production V.4.0, the Association started to develop National Interpretations of the largest soybean producing countries.

Although the RTRS Production Standard is applicable worldwide, National Interpretations mean indicators can be adapted to each individual country.

The revision of the Paraguayan National Interpretation V4.0 was carried out during the first RTRS Task Force Paraguay meeting. The RTRS Executive Committee approved the final version of the interpretation at its meeting in October 2023. This adds to the Argentine and Brazilian versions, which were approved in November 2022.

Find the new Paraguayan National Interpretation V4.0 on the RTRS website. *Information updated as of November 1, 2023.

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Global Round Table and Membership

Task Force Argentina August 22, 2023 38 representatives from more than 20 organisations.

Organisations • Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas (ACA) • Basf Argentina • Bayer Argentina • Bunge Argentina • Bureau Veritas SA • Cofco International Argentina S.A. • Control Union Argentina S.A. • Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias (UNLZ) • Ferias del Norte SACIA • Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina • Greenlab • LDC Argentina • María Andrea Droffa (RTRS Implementer) • Molinos Agro S.A. • Parra Agropecuaria SRL • Peterson Projects & Solutions Salentein Argentina B.V. • San Félix S.A. • SPC Consultores S.A. • SYD Lafuente S.A. • Tecnocampo S.A. • Tercera Parte • Varteco Quimica Puntana S.A.

Task Force Paraguay July 18, 2023 20 representatives from 13 organisations.

Organisations • ADM CAPPRO • Control Union • DAP S.A. • Moisés Bertoni Foundation • Grupo de productores de Paraguay • Guyra • Senave • Solidaridad • Tropical Forest Alliance • UCROP IT • UNEP • Viterra • WWF

Task Force Brazil May 4, 2023 took place in Sao Paulo; it was a hybrid meeting that gathered 45 people, 35 present and 10 online.

Organisations • Control Union • Cargill • Bayer • CAT Sorriso • Nuveen • Koppert • Food Chain • Rabobank • Nestlé • LDC • Amaggi • IFF • Santander • Bunge • ADM • Imaflora • Fapcen • CJ Selecta • NovaAgri • Agrex do Brasil • Produzindo Certo • IABS • Tecnosol • CDP • Cooperativa Agrária • Genesis Certificações

15

2

RTRS Certification

02 16

2.

RTRS Certification

Evolution of RTRS global certified production In 2023, a total of 1,865,298 hectares and 6,203,015 tons of RTRS-certified soy were recorded worldwide.

8,000,000

7,000,000

1,865,298 ha 6,203,015 tons of RTRS-certified soy worldwide*

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0

2013

Certified Soy 1,157,583

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

1,355,052

2,344,446

3,266,561

4,149,069

4,465,232

4,114,443

4,799,011

4,639,071

7,048,484

6,203,015

*This number reflects the total certified production reported as of 10th January, 2024 according to available audit reports. The final total for 2023 will be duly reported in the RTRS 2023 Management Report. The quantity of tons and hectares is determined by the volumes that have been certified throughout the entire year 2023.

17

2.

RTRS Certification

RTRS global certified producers Individual & Multi-sites

77,824

Producers were certified against RTRS Production Standard

*

Countries

Tons

Hectares

Number of producers

Number of groups

Number of producers

Argentina

52

0

0

369,353

208,208

Brazil

15

24

293

5,290,675

1,379,753

India

0

6

77,452

430,873

207,555

Paraguay

5

1

3

77,278

28,337

Uruguay

4

0

0

34,836

39,777

TOTAL

76

31

77,748

6,203,015

1,863,630

*This number reflects the total certified production reported as of 10th January 2024 according to available audit reports. The final total for 2023 will be duly reported in the RTRS 2023 Management Report. The number of producers is determined by the quantity of active certificates as of 10/01.

18 16

2.

RTRS Certification

RTRS-certified corn In 2023, 115 RTRS soy producers certified their corn production under the RTRS Standard for Responsible Corn Production.

This means an increase of 274% over 2022.

They are 24 from Argentina; 88 from Brazil, 2 Uruguay and 1 from Paraguay.

They represent a total of 454,710 hectares and 3,383,541 tons of certified corn. The second year of RTRS corn certification confirms the value of creating synergies and opportunities with producers. It also demonstrates that it is feasible to capitalise on the sustainability achievements of soy certification and continue the process of sustainable production by extending soy certification to a rotational crop.

Countries

Tons

Hectares

Argentina

211,860

40,819

Brazil

3,144,607

409,239

Uruguay

14,233

2,014

Paraguay

12,840

2,638

Total

3,383,540

454,710 19 16

2.

RTRS Certification

Netherlands Organizations

Belgium Organizations

RTRS Chain of Custody certification

Sites

2

11

Switzerland Organizations

Ireland

1

Sites

3

1

Moy Park L.T.D. R&H Hall uc John Thompson & Sons Limited

Sites

Paraguay Organizations Bunge Paraguay S.A. LDC Paraguay S.A.

Sites Ports

5

Organizations

3

Kanematsu Corporation Nisshin Shokai CO., LTD. Shoda Shoyu CO.,LTD.

Sites

2

4

ADM Hamburg Aktiengesellschaft J. MÜLLER Weser GmbH & Co. KG

Organizations

Sites Ports

1

Cofco International France SAS

8 4

Organizations

Germany,

France 2

Japan

Louis Dreyfus Company Suisse SA

Organizations

30* new sites in Belgium (2), Brazil (14), Chile (12), Japan (1) and Switzerland (1) were certified against the Chain of Custody Standard. This number includes 4 ports and 2 transhipments terminals.

Sites

6 4

4

Turkey Organizations

Organizations

Organizations

4

Sites Ports

13 2

Bunge Chile SPA Camilo Ferrón Chile S.A Comercializadora Nutreco Chile Limitada Kabsa S.A

Organizations

11

Aceitera Chabás S.A.I.C. Aceitera General Deheza S.A. Bunge Argentina S.A. COFCO International Argentina S.A. Kumagro S.A. LDC Argentina S.A. Molinos Agro S.A. T6 Industrial S.A. Tecnocampo S.A. Varteco Química Puntana S.A. Viterra Argentina S.A.

Sites Ports

18 5

Sites

15

Amaggi Exportação e Importação Ltda Cargill Agricola S.A SAAG - Sociedade de Armazenamiento e Agricultura Limitada Vegetallis Indústria e Comércio 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 CJ Selecta – Unidade Araguari INBRA Industrias Químicas NovaAgri Infraestrutura de Armazenagem e Escoamento Agrícola S.A Danone Ltda

Argentina

1

Sodrugestvo Turkey Tarim TAS. ITH. IHR. TIC. A.S.

Brazil

Chile

To date, there are 436 sites certified to receive, process and trade RTRS-certified physical soy. These included 260 storage facilities, 86 processing plants, 58 ports, 40 transshipment terminals and 40 commercial offices.

This is an increase of 18% compared to 2022. *This number of recertified production reported as of 10 January, 2024 according to available audit reports. The final total for 2023 will be duly reported in the RTRS 2023 Management Report in June/July 2024.

1

Oleon NV

Sites

3

Bunge Netherlands BV Zesty B.V. Cargill BV, Zaanlandse Olieraffinaderij

Sites Ports

1

India Organizations

Italy Organizations

1

Cereal Docks SPA

Sites

4

Sites

347 43

8

Thailand, Organizations

2

Thai Vegetable Oil Public Limited Company Thanakorn Vegetable Oil Products Co.,Ltd.

Uruguay Organizations

7

Adani Wilmar Limited AVI Agri Business LTD Kriti Nutrients Limited Maharashtra Oil Extractions Pvt Ltd Shalimar Nutrients Private Limited Vippy Industries Ltd

1

Sites

3

Mibamar S.A.

Sites

1

!

20

2.

RTRS Certification

Leading case: First mass balance supply chain in Chile

Soy Farms

SPC Factory

(CJ Selecta Site)

The company has been a member of RTRS since 2007. In 2019, it began involving its clients with RTRS Credits, acquiring an average of 60,000 per year. Three years later, CJ Selecta started working with RTRS-certified producers in Brazil, acting as a Group Manager for nine producers covering 24,916 hectares and 95,623 tons of certified soy in Minas Gerais and Goiás.

Transfer Zone

(No transfer of ownership)

Warehouse KABSA S.A.

Supermarket

Salmon farm

Salmon feed factory

End CoC

CJ Selecta is a Brazilian company dedicated to the manufacturing of soy-derived products, with a focus on the aquaculture sector. It is currently one of the largest exporters of Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC), with Chile one of its main markets.

In 2022, CJ Selecta certified an RTRS Chain of Custody (CoC) processing plant in Araguari, Minas Gerais, confirming its transition from RTRS Credits to RTRS Mass Balance. And in 2023, the Chilean company Kabsa S.A – CJ Selecta's main partner and a manufacturer of SPC – certified five sites under the RTRS CoC Standard, including two ports that can store, process, and market RTRS soy.

This certification progress enabled Skretting Chile, a producer of balanced animal feed for salmon, to advance and certify three sites under the RTRS CoC Standard in 2023, covering three storages and two processing plants in Los Lagos. This means the balanced feed developed

by Skretting supplies the ASC or BAP certified salmon farms in Chile, which is ultimately provided to retailers.

21

3

Market Development

22

3.

Market Development

Evolution of the uptake of RTRS-certified material

+26% compared to 2022

7000000

6,672,896 6000000 5,304,639 4,974,091

5000000

In 2023, uptake of RTRS-certified material increased by 26% compared to 2022. Of the total certified material adopted (6,672,896 tons), 448,218 tons were physical flow – Mass Balance and 6,224,678 tons RTRS Credits Supporting Responsible Soy.

4,750,162

3,951,409

4000000

3000000

2,802,722 2,359,310

Mass Balance Credits supporting responsible soy

2,040,721

2000000

2,194,179

1,335,712

1000000

774,597 691,635

82,962

0

2013

2014

1,297,712

2,118,085

1,944,949

2,110,426

2,485,980

3,395,847

4,115,403

4,257,223

4,781,759

6,224,678

56,000

241,225

95,772

83,753

316,742

555,562

634,759

716,868

522,880

448,218

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023 23

3.

Market Development

Top 10 organisations adopting RTRS-certified material worldwide N°

Organisations

Adopted Certified Material

Country

1

De Heus Voeders B.V.

651,721 Credits

Netherlands

2

DLG a.m.b.a.

470,000 Credits

Denmark

3

Tesco Plc

385,828 Credits

United Kingdom

4

Sun Valley Foods Ltd (Carg-U)

325,000 Credits

United Kingdom

5

GISIS S.A

289,014 Credits

Ecuador

6

Danish Crown A/S

265,000 Credits

Denmark

7

Unilever Brasil

250,000 Credits

Brazil

8

ForFarmers

184,500 Credits

Netherlands

9

Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG.

184,500 Credits

Germany

10

Danone

179,000 Credits

Netherlands

(Mass Balance - Credits Supporting Responsible Soy)

24

3.

Market Development

52 new adopters of RTRS-certified material In 2023, 52 companies from 20 countries adopted RTRS-certified material for the first time.

They adopted 331,740 tons of RTRS-certified material in total (273,323 of RTRS Credits Supporting Responsible Soy and 58,417 tons of Mass Balance).

25

4

Achievements and Opportunities

26

4.

Achievements and Opportunities

RTRS Standard awarded the maximum equivalence level against SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), helping to increase industry sustainability.

The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI Platform is a not-for-profit organisation and industry initiative that helps companies source sustainably grown agricultural raw materials and achieve sustainable production. With over 170 members from the food and beverage value chain, the SAI Platform is recognised globally for the FSA and its benchmarking programme.

The benchmarking process consists of a set of tools that can be used by each producer (regardless of property size) to evaluate and improve their agricultural practices. A global framework and a single reference system focused on sustainable agriculture makes independent assessment possible for every crop grown anywhere in the world.

Based on a review of the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production version 4.0 (RTRS Production Standard), specialised consultants used benchmarking data from the FSA to conduct a thorough assessment.

As a result, the RTRS Production Standard is now part of a select group of standards to bear the ‘Gold Level’ equivalent seal and the only one specifically geared towards soy production.

RTRS Production Standard is now part of a select group of standards to bear the ‘Gold Level’ equivalent seal and the only one specifically geared towards soy production.

From now on, RTRS-certified producers can also showcase their ‘Gold Level’ equivalent to all the industries that use the FSA as a reference.

The recognition applies and extends to corn production.

Discover the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI).

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4.

Achievements and Opportunities

Independent study finds RTRS the most comprehensive standard for protecting against deforestation A new study highlighted the efficacy of sustainability certification standards in combating deforestation on soy-producing farms in Brazil. The independent study, ‘Mapping zero deforestation certification and private programmes for soybeans farming in Brazil’, was funded by The Kingdom of The Netherlands and praised RTRS as the most comprehensive standard for protecting against deforestation.

Building on the Methodology for the Food and Agriculture Benchmark proposed by the World Benchmarking Alliance, the study ranks each certification and private programme with a score from 0 to 4 across four aspects: compliance with local legislation; strong stakeholder relationships; good agricultural practices; and effective deforestation control. By comparing these, the study concluded that RTRS is the most robust standard among those that were benchmarked.

In addition, RTRS stands out as the only voluntary certification programme where producers do not face any market restrictions to sell their crops.

Read the study – Mapping zero deforestation certification and private programmes for soybeans farming in Brazil.

Read more about the Methodology for the Food and Agriculture Benchmark.

RTRS was also praised as the most stringent for deforestation control among the audited programmes. This was thanks to RTRS’ strict eligibility criteria and transparency mechanism, where interested buyers can find information on farms’ and producers’ compliance.

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4.

Achievements and Opportunities

RTRS recognised as a best-in-class soy voluntary standard system RTRS’ holistic standard has once again been lauded as both complete and credible, adding value to the sustainability journey of the soy community through its robust and reliable assurance system.

The study, ‘Setting a new bar for deforestation and conversion-free soy in Europe’, was carried out by independent research organisation Profundo, at the request of WWF Germany and the Dutch committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It evaluated the top 21 soy Voluntary Standard Systems against 60 key sustainability criteria, including ecosystem protection, traceability, governance, social concerns and human rights.

The study identified RTRS as the highest-ranked VSS, coming out top in almost all categories, including deforestation and conversion, landscape and biodiversity, traceability, and governance.

It was also noted that almost all standards have become more robust since 2019.

Read the report – Setting a new bar for deforestation and conversion free soy in Europe.

Image 29

4.

Achievements and Opportunities

New enhanced and more functional version of the Online Platform In April, an updated version of the Online Platform was launched with new functionalities and usability improvements.

The upgrade provides RTRS with state-of-the-art technology to face the upcoming challenges and technological needs of an increasingly demanding international agenda in terms of information and traceability requirements.

The new version of Online Platform also has simple, but effective, design updates that enhance users’ browsing experience.

The new functionalities include: • Renewed report setting and architecture to access relevant data.

• Increased functionality of reports, including the possibility of exporting data and historical records in downloadable Excel files.

• Easy visualisation of historical records of RTRS-certified material volume balances and transactions.

• Improved data security and platform performance.

Try out the new version of the Online Platform.

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We are committed to sustainability.

And we understand sustainability holistically, where deforestation is key.

But we also understand that sustainability goes beyond zero deforestation.

We will continue to work with members, stakeholders and entire supply chains to realise a future where soy is grown and processed – and uptake is increased – in a truly sustainable way.

RTRS’ vision is a future where all soy is truly sustainable. This year, you can be part of the achievement by taking these priorities as your own.

Watch our video

www.responsiblesoy.org 31 16