Neste Oil, Danisco, L’Oréal, J. Sainsbury, IOI Group, Marks and Spencer, Mondi, Weyerhaeuser, Drax Group and Reed Elsevier are among the best performers in the Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) project's report (PDF) on procurement policies for forest risk commodities including palm oil, soy, timber, beef, leather and biofuels that are linked to deforestation.
FFD, an investor-backed initiative, sent its first disclosure request to 217 high-profile global companies, selected by Fortune 500 status and exposure to forest risk commodities in July last year. Out of the 217, FFD received 35 responses and 25 refusals. Among the 35 companies that responded include big brands such as British Airways, BMW, Travis Perkins, Kingfisher, Adidas, Nike, Mondi and Unilever.
However, several respondents noted that they had not been looking for this data prior to the FFD request and a number of non-responding companies said they intend to participate in the 2010 survey.
Companies were asked to disclose information in 11 key areas, including risk assessment, sustainable supply chain development, and support and governance process.
The report identifies those companies that disclosed information, those that did not respond at all and those that refused to disclose. It also summarizes responses for each of the 10 business sectors. Analysis is also provided for each of the forest risk commodities, and the challenges ahead for businesses, NGOs and government in addressing the link between the use of commodities in supply chains and deforestation.
Here's a list of the best performers by sector in 2009:
-- Oil and Gas: Neste Oil, Finland
-- Food Products and Soft Drinks: Danisco, Denmark
-- Personal Care and Household: L’Oréal, France
-- Food and Drug Retailers: J. Sainsbury plc, UK
-- Farming and Fishing: IOI Group, Malaysia
-- General Retailer: Marks and Spencer, UK
-- Basic Materials: Mondi plc, UK
-- Industrial and Auto: Weyerhaeuser, USA
-- Utilities: Drax Group, UK
-- Other Consumer: Reed Elsevier, NL
FFD is planning a second disclosure request for June 2010 and a U.S. launch is planned for later this year to raise the awareness of a forest footprint among more investors and companies.
