Sustainable Soy
We work with partners toward sustainable soy production.
As non-producers, we work with a wide range of experts and partners, within the industry and beyond, to promote responsible soy production, processing and trade, aiming ultimately to address global climate change pressures and protect natural ecosystems.
Committed to Sustainable Soy
LDC predominantly exports soy beans from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. For further details of our sourcing profile in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, please see our transparency report here.
LDC has been a member of the Brazilian Soy Moratorium since its inception in 2006. In this concerted effort, LDC and other industry actors monitor suppliers, and do not purchase soy from lands in the Amazon biome that were deforested after July 2008. This collaborative platform has significantly reduced deforestation in the Amazon that is attributable to soy cultivation, and ensures that today soy is no longer a driver of deforestation in the Amazon biome.
LDC is a member of the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE) and Brazil’s National Association of Grain Exporters (ANEC), who work to promote best practice in Brazil’s soy industry.
We are also a founding member of the Soft Commodities Forum, a global platform for leading soft commodities companies to collaborate on common sustainability challenges, convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). As members of this group, we are committed to transparent reporting on soy origination in Brazil and the Cerrado.
LDC is a member of the Tropical Forest Alliance, and active in finding sector-level solutions to reducing deforestation in agri-supply chains.
Further information on LDC’s sourcing profile and traceability in Brazil can be found here:
- Our Sourcing Profile
- SCF Progress Reports 2021: June
- SCF Progress Reports 2020: June and December
- SCF Progress Reports 2019: June and December
In Argentina, LDC is also partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to map and analyze soy producers in high-risk areas in the Argentine Gran Chaco.
In Paraguay, we are collaborating with CAPPRO (Paraguayan Chamber of Oilseeds Processors) and the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) to expand the use of soy certification in cooperatives where smallholder farmers sell their beans.
Our Policy
Our own Soy Sustainability Policy signals our intent to influence our supply chain, going beyond applicable laws and regulations to incentivize stakeholders to engage in zero deforestation and conserve native vegetation in ecologically valuable biomes.
To support the policy implementation in Brazil, LDC has launched a preferential financing line, offering long-term credit for Brazilian producers seeking to expand soy production over pasture / degraded land. Various environmental and legal criteria are attached to the financing, including the condition that native vegetation that could legally be cleared is maintained intact.
Program for Sustainable Agriculture
Established in 2019, our Program for Sustainable Agriculture aims to contribute to the dissemination and adoption of sustainable practices in the agricultural production of commodities purchased and commercialized by LDC.
Providing a frame for the implementation of requirements related to human rights, workers’ health and safety, labor relations, environmental protection, agricultural practices, land use and community relations, it is a voluntary program for agricultural producers and other product chain of custody partners wishing to be part of our sustainable agricultural value chain.
Our Program is independently benchmarked against the FEFAC Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2021 and has been successfully implemented in Brazil. Farmers in this Program receive technical assistance on sustainable agricultural practices, as well as independent audits to verify the compliance with the program criteria. Verified soy volumes are made available to our customers through a mass balance chain-of-custody.
Certification and Partnership
LDC’s own Certification for Sustainable Agriculture scheme is approved by the International Trade Centre as compliant with European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) Soy Sourcing Guidelines.
LDC also has an extensive 2BSvs/ISCC biofuel certification program, guaranteeing the traceability and verification of no-deforestation of soybeans in accordance with the European Directive. In 2019, LDC Argentina certified 240 Ktn of biodiesel, representing more than 1,200 Ktns of soybean certified under these schemes
LDC also works with the Roundtable for Responsible Soy (RTRS) certification schemes in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. In 2020, we certified a number of assets enabling us to source RTRS beans under chain of custody.
For further details of our sourcing profile in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, please find attached a transparency report.
