Tyson and Proforest to conduct deforestation risk assessment

Tyson Foods has partnered with Proforest – a non-profit organisation focused on sustainability in the forest and agricultural sectors – to conduct a deforestation risk assessment across Tyson’s global agriculture supply chain.

According to a statement from Tyson, the assessment will identify if there is deforestation risk in the company’s sourcing origins, focusing on commodities such as cattle, palm oil, soy, timber, pulp and paper.

The findings of the assessment will inform the development of a Tyson Foods Forest Protection Policy in 2020, and if necessary, will recommend the implementation of actions to mitigate or eliminate any identified deforestation risks.

Tyson carried out a sustainable sourcing risk assessment in 2017, which classified the company’s deforestation risk as “minimal to low”, but Tyson has since expanded its international presence from two countries to nine countries, following the acquisition of companies such as Keystone Foods and poultry businesses in Thailand and Europe.

These international expansion efforts have made this latest deforestation risk assessment necessary, as the company’s supply chain will now be reassessed to accurately identify and classify potential risks.

To carry out the assessment, Proforest will partner with Global Canopy, an international environmental NGO, and utilise Trase, a publicly available supply chain mapping platform developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute and Global Canopy.

John R. Tyson, chief sustainability officer for Tyson Foods said: “We’re committed to sustainably feeding the world. As part of that, we must operate with a high degree of certainty about sourcing in our supply chains across the globe.

“We look forward to working with Proforest to better understand potential risks and do our part on this complicated issue.”