{"id":1203,"date":"2020-10-22T09:57:16","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T14:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cf.iisd.net\/ssi\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2023-03-25T16:11:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T21:11:24","slug":"report-soybean-sector-slow-to-adopt-voluntary-sustainability-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/news\/report-soybean-sector-slow-to-adopt-voluntary-sustainability-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Soybean sector slow to adopt voluntary sustainability standards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a uniquely nutritious food source, soybeans have a significant and growing impact on the planet. Butonly a small fraction of soybean production complies with voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) thatcould address some of the sector\u2019s critical environmental and social challenges, according to a new report<\/a> from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoybean production has been linked to rampant deforestation, biodiversity loss, excessive use of herbicides, and human rights violations,\u201d says Vivek Voora, an author of the report and associate with IISD. \u201cWhile adoption has been growing, just 1.8% of soybeans are VSS compliant with the three main schemes in the sector.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2008 and 2016, VSS-compliant production grew by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.62%, to represent at least 1.62% of total production. From 2016 to 2018, the CAGR was 6.65%, for a1.8% global VSS-compliance rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2018 production volume, the largest VSSs in the sector are Round Table for Responsible Soy (4.5 million tonnes), ProTerra Foundation (3.5 million tonnes), and Organic (800,000 tonnes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasing compliance among producers would likely improve the sector\u2019s environmental and social performance, as many VSSs operating in the sector encourage producers to adopt sustainable practices to prevent deforestation, enhance ecosystem rehabilitation, and protect rare and threatened species. They also promote practices that protect basic labour rights and support decent working conditions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other mechanisms have also been established to mitigate the negative environmental impact of soybean cultivation, including the Amazon Soy Moratorium in 2006 and the Cerrado Manifesto in 2017, which have been signed by various supply chain actors to address sustainability challenges in Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soybeans are one of the only plant-based protein sources with nine essential amino acids and are an important source of protein for both humans and animals, with 85% of the crop\u2019s cultivation becoming animal feed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn many ways, soybeans are a hidden commodity, often nourishing the animals that are eventually consumed as meat,\u201d says Voora. \u201cConsumers often don\u2019t have a direct connection to soybeans and how they are produced and processed. So they haven\u2019t demanded sustainability as they have for other commodities, such as coffee and cotton.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf consumers demand better environmental and social performance in the sector, we will see buyers and traders making ambitious sustainable sourcing commitments.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large actors have a huge impact in the sector, as the top five soybean traders and exporters account for nearly 90% of the total market. Many large soybean traders and processors have developed their own schemes rather than using third-party standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina is also a major player, representing the world\u2019s largest soybean importer and consumer,\u201d\u00a0Voora says. \u201cDeveloping demand for VSS-compliant soybeans in China could be transformational.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full report:\u00a0Global Market Report: Soybeans<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE COMMODITIES MARKETPLACE SERIES <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\u00a0report is\u00a0the\u00a0eighth in IISD\u2019s\u202fSustainable Commodities Marketplace Series<\/a>, which presents market performance and analysis on agricultural commodities to foster transparency, knowledge, and strategic decision making for sustainable development. The first seven reports focused on\u00a0bananas,\u00a0cotton, cocoa,\u00a0coffee,\u00a0palm oil,\u00a0sugar, and\u00a0tea.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent think tank with the mission to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resources, and fair economies. Our big-picture view allows us to address the root causes of some of the greatest challenges facing our planet today\u2014ecological destruction, social exclusion, unfair laws and economic and social rules, a changing climate. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, Toronto, and Beijing, our work impacts lives in nearly 100 countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, please contact:\u202fmedia@iisd.org<\/a>\u202for +1 (613) 238 2296 ext. 114. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a uniquely nutritious food source, soybeans have a significant and growing impact on the planet. Butonly a small fraction of soybean production complies with voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) thatcould address some of the sector\u2019s critical environmental and social challenges, according to a new report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).  \u201cSoybean production has been linked to rampant deforestation, biodiversity loss, excessive use of herbicides, and human […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}