ADM procures agricultural commodities from around the world, including from regions that may be at risk for deforestation and human rights violations. To help protect the forests, and the people in the affected areas, the company has adopted a No-Deforestation, No Peat, No Exploitation—or No DPE—Policy.
The goal is to ensure the protection of important natural ecosystems while leveraging ADM’s role as a major merchandiser of sustainable crops with a traceable supply chain. Separately, the company also has a Respect for Human Rights Policy, which protects the human rights of individuals along the agricultural value chain.
These policies and commitments and implementation activities apply to palm and soy supply chains, focusing first on high-risk geographies. ADM has identified soy in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes of South America, and palm globally as high-risk commodities. The company works, and in partnership with other organisations to address these issues.
Since 2006, ADM has been a signatory of the Amazon Soy Moratorium and we’re a founding member of the Soy Working Group. As such, we do not source from newly deforested areas in the Amazon published by INPE (the Brazilian National Space Research Institute). Every year, a third-party auditor confirms we’re in compliance. Consistent with the October 2018 statement made by ABIOVE—which has represented companies that process oilseeds and produce meal, vegetable oil and biodiesel in Brazil—ADM will maintain the Amazon Soy Moratorium.
ADM is also a member of the GTC—Grupo de Trabalho do Cerrado, or Cerrado Working Group—a multi-stakeholder initiative aiming to reduce deforestation in the shortest timeframe possible while promoting socio-economic development. Additionally, the company is a member of the MATOPIBA Coalition, a group of stakeholders organised under the United Nation’s Green Commodities program, who work together on a landscape approach in the states of Maranhao, Tocantins, Piaui and Bahia.
ADM is a founding member of the Soft Commodities Forum, a global platform for leading soft commodities companies convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. ADM has also committed to a common framework for reporting and monitoring progress on transparent and traceable supply chains for soy in Brazil’s Cerrado region. We regularly publish progress reports, traceability scores and updates to our action plans online. Visit ADM’s Sustainability Progress Tracker to learn more.
