Responsible production
From large plantations to groups of farmers and smallholders, our practical support helps companies implement environmentally and socially responsible production practices. Our local teams combine a deep understanding of context and culture with ideas and approaches from colleagues and partners in other regions to provide innovative but locally appropriate approaches.
We work with producers and smallholders, as well as the mills and aggregators that buy from them. We help to build a practical understanding of environmental and social performance, alongside any gaps or issues in current practices. For producers, we focus on their own farms or plantations. While for mills and first aggregators, we help them to understand the range of different producers supplying them.
Proforest supports companies through this journey within its ACRES framework: Agricultural Commodity Responsible Production and Sourcing, guiding companies through five steps (view our services by clicking on each step):
Responsible sourcing & production
- Strategy and policy
Strategy and policy
- Strategy captures the company’s overall aspirations and should be regularly benchmarked internally and externally.
- Policies set out responsible sourcing commitments and should reflect the ESG aspirations of the company and the expectations of customers, investors, shareholders, staff and other stakeholders.
- Understand the supply base
Understand the supply base
- Traceability: mapping supply base to understand where production is happening, and which producers /suppliers are involved
- Risk assessment: understanding the risk that commitments not being met places in the supply base
- Plan interventions
Plan interventions
To address risks and support positive impacts:
- Plan: Approaches, implementation, KPIs, budget, resources, monitoring and verification
- Prioritisation of action across whole supply base
- Collaboration and alignment: to achieve scale and maximise positive impact
- Engage within and beyond supply chains
Engage within and beyond supply chains
Implement planned actions for volumes, suppliers, landscapes and across the sector:
- Within supply chains: to ensure volumes deliver on policy commitments and suppliers are engaged
- Beyond supply chains: to address issues that can’t be addressed within individual supply chains
- Monitoring and reporting
Monitoring and reporting
Recognise the importance of monitoring progress to ensure actions are effective and progress (or lack of it) is understood:
- Internal monitoring: regular reviews that inform revisions to the strategy and action plan where needed
- Transparency: progress shared publicly to allow all stakeholders to understand and monitor progress
- Undertaking baseline or gap assessments against voluntary standards or the requirements of customers or investors
- Undertaking HCV and HCS assessments for both existing production areas and for planned new production
- Supporting community engagement and Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC)
- Helping producers to understand issues and opportunities related to workers’ rights and gender
- Supporting land use planning
- Capacity building for producers and auditors
