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Hello everyone,
Welcome to the second edition of the quarterly sustainability newsletter this year. While the world has changed significantly since the last edition, our sustainability commitments remain steadfast. There is no more important time than now to honor our commitments to the communities we’re a part of and do right by the planet we inhabit.
In this edition we have a host of updates including Bunge’s recently announced new sustainability approach. Read on to learn more about our ongoing and relentless efforts in this space, the status of key partnerships and various other important initiatives to advance our sustainability goals.
Best wishes,
Sustainability Team, Bunge Loders Croklaan (BLC)
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July 2020: New partnership with Solidaridad Network
The Soft Commodities Forum (SCF), of which Bunge is a member, has announced a new partnership with Solidaridad Network to engage with farmers on sustainable soy production. This partnership aims to contribute to the protection of existing natural habitats in Brazil’s Cerrado biome. Click here to learn more.
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June 2020: BLC elected Vice President of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA)
Our West-African supply chain manager Jean-Arnaud Janvier was recently elected Vice President of the GSA, the industry platform dedicated to addressing sustainability challenges in the Shea sector. Prior to this, BLC held a seat in the GSA Executive Committee. Having earned the mandate for the coming three years, this development reinforces BLC’s long-standing commitment to and role within the GSA.
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June 2020: Global Shea Alliance releases its 2019 annual report
As a founding member of the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) we're proud to see the impact of its sustainability initiatives across shea producing countries. In its latest annual report, the GSA outlines key activities and achievements across its three strategic areas that focus on advancing efforts towards the sustainability program, industry promotion and quality standards. The report captures the collective efforts of GSA member organizations and partners, including our organization, to strengthen the competitiveness of the shea sector while accelerating the industry’s sustainability efforts. To date, the industry has committed over USD$48.5 million as investment in sustainability initiatives across major shea producing countries. Click here to read their report.
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April 2020: Boots on the ground in West-Africa
Local presence near suppliers enables us to further build relationships with suppliers, generate supplier engagement and ensure their compliance with our sustainability policies. Growing our local presence in West-Africa, a Sustainability Manager is the latest edition to our shea fractionation facility and local supply chain team. She will focus on managing our local contacts with women’s groups and our sustainability partners.
March 2020: Peatland rehabilitation and conservation program update
BLC collaborates with the Global Environment Centre (GEC) and other industry stakeholders on a Rehabilitation and Conservation Program in Pahang, Malaysia. The goal of the program is to implement peatland rehabilitation and fire control activities with the indigenous community, and to empower the community through education and awareness. The program runs from September 2018 until August 2020. You can read the latest progress update from March 2020 here.
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Bunge announces new sustainability approach
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At a time when the relationship between climate change and food security is more apparent than ever, we are committed to doing our part and using our scale and connectivity to help lead the industry forward.
To meet today's challenges and contribute to the solutions ahead, Bunge has defined sustainability goals, incorporating activities and commitments that will support robust action on climate change, promote responsible supply chains and provide accountability for all that we do.
We believe that our leadership position in the global food system enables us to unite stakeholders – from farmers to consumers, NGOs and governments – and promote actions that are needed to improve sustainable agriculture.
We encourage you to visit the Bunge website to learn more about our goals, activities and recent accomplishments.
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Collaborating with WWF Malaysia
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Our partnership with WWF Malaysia began last year and ever since, we’ve been sharing satellite imagery information on land-use changes linked to palm oil production in Malaysia. This information is used to conduct field verifications to increase understanding of the situation on the ground and to find ways to develop corrective actions. Simultaneously, this helps in improving the monitoring of key areas for conservation initiatives in Peninsular Malaysia while improving palm oil supply chain linkages. WWF Malaysia says: “We view this collaboration as an important component in encouraging the production of sustainable palm oil in Malaysia.” Read their Annual Review 2019 here for stories of conservationists who have been working tirelessly to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
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Quarterly Story - Taking action for shea parklands
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Communities in the savanna ecological area may struggle with land degradation and loss of soil productivity, which impacts livelihoods and increases the threats of climate change with growing vulnerability for these communities as a result.
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As part of its Sustainability Program, the Global Shea Alliance is mobilizing industry stakeholders across the globe to preserve shea parklands. The action is built around three pillars: Promote, Plant and Protect. The “Promote” and “Protect” aspects address long-term and systemic factors behind the decrease in tree populations, while the “Plant” aspect showcases immediate change and impact. Shea is the primary focus of the initiative, however industry stakeholders are encouraged to include other indigenous trees in their implementation of the three pillars to ensure diverse and productive parklands. To join the action or learn more, visit the Action for Shea site.
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BLC and Eco Restore partner to plant 6,000 trees in the Sahel-savanna
In order to do our part in conserving and protecting the shea parklands, BLC partners with Eco Restore, a Ghanaian agri-business start-up, to plant 6,000 trees in 2020 around the Nasia Community in Northern Ghana. This area is predominantly a farming parkland landscape with scattered communities where there used to be a high density of shea trees. The goal is to grow 6,000 native trees within the landscape, in collaboration with local community members. 70% of the trees planted will be shea and the other 30% will be mixed native NTFP (non-timber forest product) and wood-fuel species.
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The trees will be planted in 2020 and there will be ongoing monthly monitoring and maintenance from January 2021 through December 2022. A series of meetings and trainings have been conducted with community members, including: 1) an initial meeting at the end of January which established willingness to participate and the program’s schedule; 2) a risk assessment in late February confirmed the communities’ needs and appropriate permissions for native tree planting in the landscape; 3) tree planting trainings commenced on June 22nd with small farmer groups; and 4) a fire/livestock protection training during the early dry season (October-December).
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The Nasia community welcomes the new initiative to restore their parkland with open arms. The chief of Nasia, Chief Abdulai Mahami Scot, says: “In the past, our crop yields were good and forest cover was high due to prudent management of farming systems. Until recent years our community bylaws were effective and supported us to manage the natural resources well. But due to reduced power and influence of our traditional leaders, many communities including the likes of Nasia have folded their hands in dismay amidst the looming crisis”. The introduction of the project was therefore welcomed with huge enthusiasm among the key stakeholders when Eco Restore, under the BLC funded project, introduced the idea of restoring their parkland by planting indigenous trees. Tooka Abdulai, a community elder, stated: "We have been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. We wholeheartedly welcome and accept this initiative and therefore expect full collaboration and cooperation from the chief, elders and all stakeholders of this community.”
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Please send your feedback and questions to blc.sustainability@bunge.com.
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Copyright © 2020 Bunge Loders Croklaan, All rights reserved.
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