Post AY4xHDuD3iFEJDptQ0 by ncoca@social.coop
(DIR) More posts by ncoca@social.coop
(DIR) Post #AY4xH1xfT1sfGTMU8u by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-17T23:34:06Z
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I initially went to #Indonesia, back in 2011, because of the country’s troubling history with deforestation, driven primarily, historically, by demand for tropical commodities including #palmoil #paperpulp & #rubber.In the past decade, as I’ve covered these issues for numerous outlet, much has changed. In some ways there has been real progress in increasing traceability and stemming deforestation, but at the same time, much of the supply chain remains opaque.
(DIR) Post #AY4xH447e0ERn4OfTs by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-17T23:34:26Z
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But one thing has changed dramatically – the main buyers of high-risk tropical commodities. Then, it was primarily brands in the #US, #Europe & #Japan that played a key role.Today, it’s #China. The world’s top imported of #soy #rubber #paperpulp, and second for palm oil (behind India).
(DIR) Post #AY4xH60IRCMNnmcdnM by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-17T23:35:27Z
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This has completely changes how local communities & non-profits do supply chain advocacy. On the ground in #Indonesia & #Malaysia, I was regularly told that getting data from Chinese buyers, or tracing Chinese supply chains, was far more difficult than those destined for the #US #Europe #Japan or #SouthKorea. Here was the concern & the focus of my in-depth piece for #TheWireChina – the growth in Chinese imports of key tropical commodities & their links to deforestation. https://www.thewirechina.com/2023/07/16/zombie-supply-chains/
(DIR) Post #AY4xH7nblLOnN0hXIO by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T01:20:06Z
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I was curious to look into how NGOs in #SoutheastAsia, #China, and the West, were dealing with this challenge. Quite fittingly, a report came out as I was working on this piece, connected an infamous Indonesia conglomerate, #RoyalGoldenEagle, with a new #Kalimantan factory that would send nearly all its of #paperpulp to one country: #China.
(DIR) Post #AY4xH9hegRpFH7voIK by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T02:08:04Z
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In fact, many western #NGOs were working, at least according to their websites, on sustainable supply chain in China.You won’t find many of their perspectives in the article. They wouldn’t speak with me. In fact, I’ve never had so many declined interview, or non-responses ever before. And in nearly all the cases, my request was merely to learn more about their work, nothing confrontational.
(DIR) Post #AY4xHC2I0hWGVhbJjc by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T04:19:42Z
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Groups that declined interviews include- @worldresources Institute- CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)- The Nature Conservancy- Solidaridad- China Council for International Cooperation on Environment & Development (CCICED).
(DIR) Post #AY4xHDuD3iFEJDptQ0 by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T04:21:03Z
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I had no trouble getting comments from groups working in #SEAsia, including Greenpeace Indonesia, Aid Environment, Trend Asia and Traction Energy. They noted that they had no partners in #China & that they struggle to do advocacy on Chinese destined supply chains. #SoutheastAsia
(DIR) Post #AY4xHFtvdjCyUvihG4 by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T07:49:39Z
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Some western NGOs that don’t have offices in China also spoke with me & expressed the same concerns – lack of potential #Chinese partners, limited access to data, the inability to reach out to Chinese media, as key barriers. They have not yet done active campaigning in China, but they mostly see it as something that will become inevitable at some point.
(DIR) Post #AY4xHHmYe6V6KeHq2y by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T23:15:21Z
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The result? Bifurcated supply chains, with ethical producers more likely to be shipping to the west & those with major sustainability concerns, like #RGE, exporting to #China (or #India). There’s a risk that this #bifurcation of supply chains gets worse. #Europe new deforestation regulation, and coming #HRDD rules, will only increase traceability pressure on tropical supply chains. The US has been cracking down on goods made using #forcedlabor, with blocks up 38000% in five years.
(DIR) Post #AY4xHJiNScLSKGLWoC by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-18T23:15:52Z
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For example, in #2020, the US blocked #palmoil imports from #Malaysia’s Sime Darby for more than two years due to forced labor concerns. During that whole time, their exports to #China continued without pause.
(DIR) Post #AY4xHLW2lRfRuaahrU by ncoca@social.coop
2023-07-19T08:32:21Z
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From the reports I read from those working in #China, it seems they are merely “raising awareness” while hoping the government does the right thing. Of course, if we’d merely “waited for the government to do the right thing” in the US & Europe, its likely we’d have made little to no progress on sustainable supply chains. It was NGO advocacy, research, & investigate reporting that pushed governments & brands to act.