Deforestation and land conversion are among the most pressing global threats to biodiversity and the health of our planet’s ecosystems. The expansion of agricultural land—particularly for crops like soy and palm oil, or for livestock grazing—has had a devastating impact on tropical rainforests and woodland savannahs, which are vital for global ecological balance.   

Despite sustained efforts and sector collaboration, we have not yet achieved full DCF sourcing. These commodities continue to face industry wide barriers such as delayed regulation and complex, opaque supply chains.  

To help address these challenges we are leading engagement across the sector with UK Government to ensure upcoming UK legislation aligns with the EUDR, and more widely support the introduction of the EUDR to help meet our own DCF ambitions. Ultimately, we believe that delivering lasting change requires collaboration. That’s why we are working not only within our own operations but also across the value chain to drive continuous improvement in sustainability and responsible sourcing.   

To support our continued efforts, we have established robust standards for how products are grown or made. These include the use of certification schemes that address key risks in supply chains, such as deforestation and land conversion. Certification has proven to be a valuable tool enabling us to monitor progress, enhance transparency, and help customers identify sustainably sourced products. Thanks to strong customer demand, we are proud to be a global leader in meeting many of these standards.  

However, we know that certification alone is not enough. As supply chains become more complex and expectations around traceability and transparency increase, we are going further. We are enhancing our ability to trace raw materials back to their origin and are investing in technological monitoring systems to improve oversight. 

To tackle deforestation and conversion driven by soy production at scale, we believe that collective industry effort is the only way to ensure DCF supply chains for soy. We are signatories to the UK Soy Manifesto, which aims to ensure that all physical shipments of soy to the UK are DCF. From September 2022 our supplier requirements for soy require all our suppliers also become signatories to the UK Soy Manifesto and specifically commit to requiring their own suppliers to match and cascade these commitments. 

You can learn more about our specific commodity approaches in our responsible sourcing practices Explore by A-Z