What is the Deforestation Risk Metric?
Deforestation risk is a measure of the probable risk of deforestation occurring due to growing or raising ingredients, scored on a scale from 1-10. The Deforestation metric has three components:
The hectares of tree cover loss driven by agriculture out of the total agricultural are in the region where the ingredient is grown or raised
The ingredient yield in the region it is grown.
The ingredient concentration of the raw material that goes into the ingredient.
How does deforestation relate to agriculture, product development, and the food system?
Deforestation is a major contributor to climate change as it demolishes entire ecosystems and eliminates or contaminates resources that local communities rely upon.
Forests are important carbon sinks, and in clearing forests for agricultural purposes, that carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
Protecting forest habitats is also key to protecting our planet’s remaining biodiversity, as 80% of terrestrial species live in forests. The failure to protect critical wildlife areas from deforestation means the loss of biodiversity and extinction of endangered species. With fewer species, the resilience of the entire food chain suffers.
Agricultural production, particularly animal agriculture, is the number one driver of the clearing and burning of forests.
What are the biggest contributors to high deforestation impact?
A major contributor to deforestation risk is the region in which an ingredient is grown or raised. Ingredients that are grown or raised in regions with the greatest loss of forest since December 30, 2020, compared to the amount of agricultural land in the region, will have high deforestation risk.
For example, raising conventional livestock in a region that has experienced rapid deforestation in recent years (like the Amazon rainforest) will have a high deforestation risk. Raising conventional livestock on land that has been used for agricultural purposes for historically longer periods of time will have minimal or no deforestation risk.
How do we measure deforestation impact?
Deforestation Risk is measured by considering three factors:
Deforestation risk is measured by considering three factors:
Agriculture driven tree cover loss. The hectares of tree cover lost due to commodity driven deforestation or shifting agriculture in the region where the ingredient is grown or raised. HowGood measures the ag-driven tree coverage loss in a region and compares it to the total agricultural area for that region, measured in the year 2022. Regions that do not naturally contain forests (ie. tundra or desert environments) will by default receive the maximum score.
Tree coverage is defined as more than 10% tree canopy. We consider the tree loss since December 30, 2020. Tree gain is not considered in our metric as primary forest can be lost and replaced with tree plantations.
Ingredient Yield. Quantity grown of an ingredient, measured in tons per hectare.
Ingredient concentration. HowGood accounts for the total amount of raw material required to produce an ingredient. Read more about ingredient concentration here.
Key Data Sources
Curtis, P.G., C.M. Slay, N.L. Harris, A. Tyukavina, and M.C. Hansen. 2018. “Classifying Drivers of Global Forest Loss.” Science. Accessed through Global Forest Watch on 18/10/2024. www.globalforestwatch.org.
What is the relationship to the HowGood Impact Score?
The Deforestation metric is a standalone metric that does not contribute to the HowGood Impact Score. For more information on the eight core metrics that comprise the HowGood Impact Score, click here.
How do I improve impact as a product developer?
Sourcing location - Avoid sourcing ingredients that have been grown or raised in regions that have experienced deforestation in recent years. Try switching to a supplier from a different country with lower deforestation risk.
Ingredient substitution - Substitute an ingredient with high deforestation risk with an ingredient that has lower deforestation risk.
The Deforestation metric is available to Latis customers by contract - contact your Customer Success Manager or [email protected] to find out more or request this metric be turned on for your Latis environment.