Home

Proforest is a unique, non-profit group. We support companies, governments, civil society and other organisations to work towards the responsible production and sourcing of agricultural and forest commodities.

Who we are

Proforest is a mission-driven organisation. We believe that agricultural commodity production can be done in a way that works for the natural environment where commodities are grown, benefits the people who live and work there, and in a way that creates a resilient climate.

What we do

At Proforest we’re passionate about helping people produce and source agricultural and forest commodities responsibly. That’s why we support companies throughout supply chains to have positive social and environmental outcomes in the places where commodities are produced.

The forefront of regulation and policy

Europe

Europe is the biggest global importer of agricultural commodities, consuming 58% of the world’s cocoa and 56% of coffee as well as commodities including palm oil, soy, sugar and timber.

It also exports commodities such as wheat, beef and dairy products to the rest of the world. Historically, the governments of the UK and Europe have been especially influential on international frameworks impacting on the production and sourcing of agricultural commodities. In Europe our team mainly works on responsible sourcing, collaboration and policy & regulation.

Supporting companies

For responsible sourcing, the team works with major household brands, retailers and manufacturers to improve their own supply chains through Proforest’s ACRES framework. We bring together expertise across human rights and livelihoods, nature and biodiversity, Scope 3 emissions and broader climate issues, to drive a more holistic approach.

Collaboration

For collaboration, Proforest works with private companies, NGOs and other actors in Europe to address problems beyond individual supply chains and drive positive social and environment outcomes. In Europe, we are an official partner to the Consumer Goods Forum Forest Positive Coalition, shaping strategy and providing technical expertise, including the development of the Forest Positive approach on deforestation and conversion free supply and suppliers and production landscapes, as well as commodity roadmaps and KPIs.

Policy and regulation

Proforest has longstanding experience working in Europe influencing policy and creating best practice with national governments. In 2003, for example, we worked with UK government, the European Union (EU) and producer countries, to support the newly established Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), which aimed to reduce illegal logging through seven key measures.

Currently, the European Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) is a focus area, supporting demand-side compliance, while bringing the understanding of and perspective from supply-side, producer countries.