Target 15.2: Halt deforestation; restore forests
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
Owners voting their values can deliver most of the outcome.
Why shareholder democracy is pivotal
Commodity-driven deforestation in soy, cattle, palm oil and pulp runs through a small set of listed traders and buyers, and shareholder voting has already changed conduct. A Green Century proposal at Bunge received 98 percent support in 2021. Bunge subsequently committed to 100 percent geospatial monitoring for soy and enhanced traceability disclosure for indirect suppliers. Majority Action campaigned against ADM's CEO and lead director in 2022, citing the company's third-largest absolute deforestation risk for Brazilian soy. Shareholder engagement is already producing commitments; As You Sow withdrew a 2025 proposal at Costco after the retailer agreed to supplier deforestation requirements, third-party certification and annual supply chain mapping for avocados. Global Canopy's 2026 Forest 500 finds 59 percent of the 150 assessed financial institutions still have no deforestation policy, a gap bank shareholders can close. Corporate conduct by traders, buyers and their financiers is close to decisive for commodity-driven forest loss, and the documented votes at Bunge and ADM show owners can deliver it. Smallholder clearing and state enforcement lie outside the lever, but owners can deliver most of this outcome.
How this was scoredPivotal
Pivotal. Owners voting their values can deliver most of the outcome.
We have not yet written down the two answers behind this rating. Recording them on every item, so a reader can check the reasoning and not only the conclusion, is work in progress.
Every rating is the higher of two answers, one for what companies do and one for what they spend to stop the outcome, because the same vote reaches both. See the full method.
Sources
- Bunge to Strengthen No-Deforestation Efforts in the Amazon, Cerrado, Green Century Capital Management, 2024-04-29
- Notice of Exempt Solicitation: Majority Action regarding Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 2022-04-15
- Most financial institutions still have no deforestation policy, Global Canopy, 2026-06-16
- As You Sow Commends Costco's Commitment to Address Deforestation Risks in Avocado Supply Chain, As You Sow, 2025-12-04
What civil society organizations are helping owners on this
Filed a 2025 Costco proposal on due diligence against illegal deforestation in avocado supply chains and withdrew it after Costco committed to supplier requirements, certification and annual supply chain mapping.
Filed a 2022 exempt solicitation urging ADM shareholders to vote against CEO and chair Juan Luciano and lead director Donald Felsinger over the company's deforestation exposure in Brazilian soy and lack of a net zero commitment.
Filed a Costco proposal with Boston Common Asset Management seeking a deforestation assessment and action plan for the Kirkland Signature brand and withdrew it after Costco committed to publish the plan by the end of 2025.
3 campaigns on record
Create a comprehensive deforestation assessment and action plan for the Kirkland Signature brand covering beef, palm oil, soy and wood products.
With Boston Common Asset Management
Result: Withdrawn after agreement
Costco committed to publish a deforestation assessment and action plan for Kirkland Signature by the end of 2025 and to consider time-bound deforestation and conversion free commitments for the targeted categories.
Vote against CEO and Chair Juan Luciano and Lead Director Donald Felsinger at the May 5, 2022 annual meeting because ADM's deforestation policy lacks firm conversion commitments and cut-off dates and the company has no net zero commitment.
Result: not stated in source
Publish a report on P&G's efforts to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation from its supply chain, including wood pulp sourced from Canadian boreal forests, despite the board's recommendation to vote against it.
Result: 67% of shareholders voted in favor The proposal was precatory (advisory and non-binding).
we found no documented specific policy change at P&G directly attributed to this vote
P&G shareholders vote in landslide to address supply-chain deforestation, Mongabay
Related subjects on other maps
How this rating was made
Every item on every one of our maps is read against one question: how far does this depend on the people who own companies voting their values? We answer it twice, once for what companies do and once for what they spend to stop the outcome, and take whichever answer is higher, since the same vote reaches both. The score carries its reasoning and its sources so that a reader can check it rather than take it.
- Pivotal. Owners voting their values can deliver most of the outcome.
- Necessary. Owners remove an obstacle nothing else removes, and others must also act.
- Helpful. Owners voting their values help, and others carry most of it.
- Independent. This moves without owners. Other levers carry it.
The advocacy record on this page holds only what a source we opened says happened. Where we searched and found nothing, the page says so rather than leaving a silence. Where a campaign names a filer the source does not name, it says that too. Ratings are ours; the list of subjects is UN Sustainable Development Goals's, and we link to their original.
How we score dependency, in full.