IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands (IUCN NL)
Setting the Bar for Deforestation-Free Soy in Europe: A Benchmark to Assess the Suitability of Voluntary Standard Systems
Report from 07 June 2019
Commissioned by IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands (IUCN NL), consultants from Profundo published a benchmark for voluntary soy certification systems that are compliant with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines. The report places particular emphasis on the avoidance of deforestation associated with European soy production and soy import to Europe.
The study identified ISCC as the standard with the highest overall scores associated with the prevention of deforestation and wetland conversion, as well as with the protection of land with high conservation value. The benchmark evaluated 17 standards that comply with the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines.
The report is consistent with the results of a previous study by the globally recognised Thünen Institute of International Forestry and Forest Economics who rated ISCC as best standard regarding important ecological and social criteria.