• Announcement
15. September 2022

Transparency, sustainability, quality - the demands on supply chains are growing, on the part of national and international legislation, but also on the part of increasingly well-informed consumers. But especially when it comes to raw materials from distant countries, it is often not easy to meet these criteria. That is why the Global Nature Fund (GNF) has published the brochure "Biodiversity in Global Agricultural Supply Chains - Shaping the Future, Protecting Nature". It was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and produced in cooperation with the GIZ.

An article by Global Nature Fund


In the brochure, the GNF shows ways to organise supply chains sustainably for four key commodities from Latin America (coffee, cocoa, bananas and palm oil). With a focus on Ecuador and Colombia, the brochure clarifies biodiversity risks in the cultivation of the raw materials and informs about concrete measures to improve biodiversity management. In addition, it provides an overview of the legal framework for biodiversity protection in agriculture at national, international and EU level and presents formats of international cooperation as business opportunities for companies. The publication also contains an overview of instruments for recording biodiversity potential in cultivation as well as an evaluation of standards and labels with regard to biodiversity aspects and provides concrete decision-making aids for buyers, CSR, product and quality managers.

Biodiversity loss and agriculture - risk and potential

Intact ecosystems with functioning ecosystem services are the prerequisite for our food production. However, according to a 2019 report by the United Nations World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), around one million species are at acute risk of extinction, and the annual loss of ecosystem services is estimated at six billion US dollars. Intensive agriculture is a key driver of species extinction, but at the same time holds the potential to be part of the solution by shifting to more biodiversity-friendly production. "With our brochure, we want to show ways in which food companies in Germany and the EU can check their global supply chains for biodiversity risks and advocate for biodiversity-friendly production in the countries of origin. In doing so, they are living up to a responsibility that is increasingly demanded by the legislator", says Stefan Hörmann, responsible for Business & Biodiversity at GNF.
The brochure was developed in cooperation with the Bodensee-Stiftung and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). "A core theme of our projects is to protect biodiversity along selected agricultural supply chains," says Sabine Triemer, component manager in the GIZ global project Sustainability and Value Creation in Agricultural Supply Chains, with which the Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains Initiative works closely.

"In order to successfully implement our projects in the production countries and to anchor positive changes in the long term, we also need the commitment of companies from the food industry. We are pleased to see the growing number of actors who are motivated to work together to advance social, ecological and economic sustainability."

- Sabine Triemer

Companies can simply become active

To support the implementation of biodiversity measures in Ecuador or Colombia, the GNF is still looking for interested companies that would like to improve their biodiversity footprint. In addition, companies from the food industry can also inform themselves about opportunities to get involved at the association Food for Biodiversity (www.food-biodiversity.de).

You can download the brochure here