Initiatives to Halt Deforestation

Welcome to #TRVSTLOVES. We curate news, ideas and inspiration from across the world which demonstrate how real action can accomplish positive social impact. With deforestation on the rise, we're taking a look at some of the many initiatives which aim to stop us taking more resources from our planet than what’s available.

New UK law introduced to curb illegal deforestation

Just last month the UK took some positive steps; the government announced that they’ll be introducing a law which prohibits large UK businesses from using products grown on land which has been deforested illegally. Businesses will face fines if they don’t do their due diligence on their supply chains, and will need to be more transparent by publishing details of where their materials come from.

With climate change goals to meet, and increasing pressure from consumers, this legislation is welcomed, and we look forward to seeing it in practice later this year.

Related: 97 Climate change quotes highlighting the need for climate action

Unilever to partner with US tech company Orbital Insight

green forest

It’s always interesting to see two companies partner up to tackle an issue, a blend of resources and abilities can be particularly innovative. Take Unilever and Orbital Insight (a US tech company). Between them, they aim to eliminate deforestation from supply chains using geolocation data and satellite imagery to identify farms using palm oil mills. It’s not always easy to identify every part of a supply chain, but as we move forward businesses will need to ensure they can vouch for where their commodities come from. Initiatives like this may well help make that job a whole lot easier.

Space Intelligence

At TRVST we’re always on the lookout for startups doing great things, and Space Intelligence is no exception! Based in Scotland, they offer advice on data acquisition and large scale forest monitoring programmes and they provide maps, landcover and ecosystem carbon storage for private and public organisations who want to learn more about how their commodities are obtained.  We expect to see more monitoring businesses develop over the next few years as an increasing number of organisations look to be more responsible with their supply chains.

The eco-system “paramedics”

We came across this article recently about Biologist Erika Cuéllar Soto and her work with indigenous communities to save forests in South America. Known as “paramedics” for the Gran Chaco eco-system, these locals are working on a programme to develop skills as professional conservation biologists. Whilst their underlying interests may differ, both indigenous communities and scientists have a common objective, to protect these forests from destruction. Have a listen to the video to find out more about the incredible biodiversity discovered during their work so far.

Big names commit to deforestation-free fashion supply chains

green forest

Whilst this happened back in June, it still gets a worthy mention whilst we’re talking about deforestation. Non-profit organisation Canopy has coordinated a collaborative approach which brought together 45 retailers pledging to commit to deforestation-free fashion supply chains. Businesses included Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker, Sainsbury's and Asda, so some big players in there. Canopy thinks that by collectively coming together businesses can increase their purchasing power to positively influence their supply chain, which makes a lot of sense, and we hope this encourages many more businesses to sign up and make a stand.

Pin Me:
Pin Image Portrait Initiatives to Halt Deforestation
Sign Up for Updates
SIGN UP
chevron-upchevron-down