JAKARTA — An analysis of eight years’ worth of data by the international conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) reveals a troubling decline in transparency and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting of the world’s 100 leading tropical timber and pulp companies. Since 2014, ZSL has been assessing ESG policies of these 100 most-significant timber and pulp companies through its corporate transparency initiative called the Sustainability Policy Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT). “Together, these top 100 companies manage forests almost the size of France — so their actions impact a significant area of the world’s forests,” said Sam Ross, ZSL’s sustainable business project analyst, who led the assessment. In 2024, the average score for these companies dropped from 37.1% in 2017 to 24.1%, indicating a significant lack of transparency and accountability in their ESG practices. This is despite most of the assessed companies having committed to responsible and sustainable production on the back of growing pressure to halt deforestation worldwide by 2030. Halting deforestation is a key element of combating climate change as cutting down trees, particularly those in tropical forests, release vast amounts of the warming gas CO2. “We have seen small signs of progress, but the overwhelming story has been one of inertia,” Ross said. “Despite years of pressure and attempted engagement, our data shows many tropical forestry companies continue to fail in reporting even basic ESG data.” This decline in average score indicates systemic issues in the industry, which could undermine efforts to achieve sustainable forestry and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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