Top Brands Listed in First Forest Footprint Disclosure Survey

February 15, 2010 – A new UK government-supported initiative called the Forest Footprint Disclosure Project (FFD Project) has been launched in an Annual Review of its first report.  Of 217 surveys sent to major international brands regarding their direct and indirect impacts on forests, 35 were returned and analyzed by 180 corporate and financial representatives in London last week.

A ‘Forest Footprint’ is the total amount of deforestation caused by an individual, organization, or project.  With the same principles as the Carbon Disclosure Project, which has taken years to gain awareness in the eyes of the public and businesses, the FFD Project has been created to shed light on how activities and supply chains connect to deforestation , an even lesser known issue. 

The surveys requested disclosure on what each firm is doing to address their forest impacts responsibly.  The FFD requested information on types of forest materials utilized, how closely a company pays mind to its supply chain, how they report the data, and how they track risks and opportunities derived from known forest impacts.  Fundamentally, the FFD created the surveys to make companies pay attention to their corporate responsibility and to make their Forest Footprint a priority. 

In the information gained from the 35 completed surveys, the report suggests that many leading firms are simply unaware of their impacts, possibly due to the complexity of supply chains.   Growing in debate about ways to limit climate change, deforestation continues to be a challenge for companies that chose to face the issue head-on.  Consumers are also raising their own awareness about deforestation and are starting to support brands that are committed to sustainably sourced commodities.   

Among the top performers were L’Oreal, Marks & Spencer, Weyerhaeuser, Sainsbury, and Danisco.       

The Director of FFD, Tracey Campbell is pleased with the first year response: “We have raised the profile of the links between deforestation and commodities, informing the business community about the issue, and we plan to build on this initial engagement in future years . . . a very promising start.”