Record 1,152 Companies Disclose Forests Data as Deforestation-Free Progress Lags

A record 1,152 companies disclosed through CDP's forests questionnaire in 2023, yet only 64 reported achieving at least one fully deforestation- and conversion-free commodity supply chain. The findings, released in CDP's Global Forests Report 2024, show that disclosure is increasing but meaningful action on eliminating deforestation remains limited.

Of the 1,152 companies disclosing on forests in 2023, 881 reported on at least one commodity supply chain across seven high-risk commodities, generating 1,498 commodity-specific disclosures. Of these, 445 disclosed on deforestation- and conversion-free progress, but only 186 provided comprehensive and high-quality information. This was the first year companies disclosed deforestation- and conversion-free status in a standardised format developed in partnership with the Accountability Framework initiative, enabling consistent cross-company comparison for the first time.

The EU Deforestation Regulation, which requires companies to prove imported products are deforestation-free, has significantly raised the stakes for transparency on commodity supply chains. Companies unable to verify DCF status risk exclusion from European markets. CDP's forests questionnaire tracks supply chain risks across palm oil, soy, cattle, timber, pulp and paper, rubber and cocoa — commodities linked to the majority of global deforestation. With regulatory pressure intensifying, investors and buyers are increasingly relying on CDP data to evaluate corporate compliance readiness.

CDP is moving toward scoring DCF disclosures for progress against company commitments and science-based land targets in future reporting cycles, having assessed transparency only in 2023. The Science Based Targets initiative Forests, Land and Agriculture methodology and the expected SBTN Land Hub both require verifiable DCF status as a component of credible nature targets. Companies achieving 100% DCF sourcing will face expectations to extend their reporting to cover restoration, managed land quality and landscape-level supplier engagement as the bar for credible deforestation commitments continues to rise.

Key figure — 64 companies achieved at least one 100% deforestation-free commodity supply chain