Vision and strategy

To support the transition to agriculture commodity production and sourcing that delivers positive social and environmental outcomes for people and the planet.

SDG wheel

Agricultural and forest commodities such as soy, sugar, palm oil, timber, pulp and paper, beef, rubber, cocoa and coconut are essential in providing the food, feed and fibre needed for a growing global population. 

Proforest believes that agricultural commodity production can and should deliver positive outcomes in the places where commodities are produced. We highlight eight environmental and social outcomes that provide the direction for all our work. 

These include respecting human rights, advancing gender equality, climate change resilience, protecting and restoring forests and natural ecosystems, conserving biodiversity and securing local development. 

By supporting companies and others to implement their environmental and social commitments, Proforest helps to transform sectors and contributes towards several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Explore how each of our positive outcomes aligns to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by clicking on the images below:

Secure local livelihoods & development

Conserve biodiversity

SDG Goal 15

Climate change mitigation & resilience

Climate change mitigation & resilience

SDG Goal 13

Protect and restore forest and natural ecosystems

Protect and restore forest and natural ecosystems

SDG Goal 1

Conserve biodiversity

Secure local livelihoods & development

SDG Goal 1SDG Goal 2

Maintain and strengthen ecosystem services

Maintain and strengthen ecosystem services

SDG Goal 14SDG Goal 15

Respect indigenous peoples' and local communities

Respect indigenous peoples and local communities

SDG Goal 1SDG Goal 2SDG Goal 5

Advance gender equality

Advance gender equality

SDG Goal 5

Respect workers' rights

Respect workers' rights

SDG Goal 8

We support companies, governments and civil society to make the transition to better production practices. We believe that collaboration between companies and with other stakeholders is essential to deliver real change on the ground. We support that change by developing and sharing knowledge and capacity, with tools, guidance and training. 

Our work is guided by three key principles: 

  • Local ownership and local benefits 
    We work to ensure that the tools and approaches we develop and use and the initiatives we support actively contribute to creating local ownership and benefits. This includes giving voice to local communities and respecting local structures and leadership. Contributing to this, we are building our local teams in production regions, with experts in commodities and practice areas who understand the local, national and regional context on the ground. 
  • Social and environmental outcomes are important for a Forest Positive future 
    We work on a shared belief that success means recognising the interdependence of environmental and social outcomes, reflected in the shift in narrative from “Deforestation-free" to “Forest Positive”. 

  • Collaboration is key 
    Internally and externally, Proforest seeks to collaborate, share and learn with others. Internally that means sharing knowledge and tools across regions, across commodities and emerging trends. Externally, we seek to provide both thought leadership and practical support to collaboration initiatives, including company collaboration, multi-stakeholder sectoral or issue-based initiatives, VSS initiatives and regulatory changes. 

You are currently offline. Some pages or content may fail to load.