FOLU India CREST - Centre for Responsible Business

Food and Land Use India (FOLU India) Action Coalition for Responsible Sourcing & Trade of Commodities (FOLU India CREST).

A farmer uses Ghanajeeamruth in his Banana Plantation in Agrapally Village./ Atul Loke for Panos Pictures/Food and Land Use Coalition

Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) India has launched its first action coalition in India. This action coalition brings together four organisations, viz. Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative India, WWF India, and World Resource Institute India (WRI India). The action coalition has been named as Food and Land Use India (FOLU India) Action Coalition for Responsible Sourcing & Trade of Commodities (in short FOLU India CREST).

Overview

India is an importer of commodities where the production or harvest of which is known to be associated with deforestation in the source countries like oilseeds, timber, rubber etc. India is also involved in the export of water intensive agriculture crops and products like rice, cotton, sugar, etc. Therefore, India’s foreign trade regime and practices should be aligned with our position as a leader globally on various environmental and climate related issues/initiatives.

Considering the nature of the Indian market and the fact that it is an emerging economy in terms of global agriculture production, it is essential to engage the government as well as companies in global supply chain efforts. While India has already initiated efforts to ensure the sustainability of its global trade supply chains, it is vital to continue engaging in the right direction through collaboration with governments of partner countries, business groups and other stakeholders.

Objectives

To identify India’s position and potential as a steward in promoting sustainable and responsible international supply chains, especially – in the global south, by setting an example, of pushing the agenda in international forums (e.g., G7, G20).
To identify the potential for India to set examples for balancing between domestic and distant sustainability issues as a consumer country
To address issues as a producer country regarding intensifying domestic production and addressing policy and other gaps in strengthening the export supply chains as more sustainable ones.

Overview

Objectives

To identify India’s position and potential as a steward in promoting sustainable and responsible international supply chains, especially – in the global south, by setting an example, of pushing the agenda in international forums (e.g., G7, G20).
To identify the potential for India to set examples for balancing between domestic and distant sustainability issues as a consumer country
To address issues as a producer country regarding intensifying domestic production and addressing policy and other gaps in strengthening the export supply chains as more sustainable ones.

Objectives

To identify India’s position and potential as a steward promoting sustainable and responsible international supply chains, especially – in the global south, by setting an example, by pushing the agenda in international forums (e.g., G7, G20).
To identify the potential for India to set examples for balancing between domestic and distant sustainability issues as a consumer country
To address issues regarding intensifying domestic production and addressing policy and other gaps in strengthening the export supply chains as more sustainable ones as a producer country.

Activities

Multi- Stakeholder Consultation – 13th July 2021

As a first activity, a multi-stakeholder consultation was conducted on 13th of July 2021 involving a total of 43 expert stakeholders. The participants were grouped under three tracks based on there areas of expertise and practice. Recommendations emerging from the conversation have been enumerated below under the three broad heads.
View the full report here

Launch of FOLU India Action Coalition for Responsible Sourcing & Trade of Commoditiesat CRB's ISS Conference 2021, 29th October 2021

During this session, the FOLU India Action Council for Responsible Sourcing & Trade of Commodities (FOLU India-CREST) was launched and the proceedings of the multi-stakeholder consultation conducted as a part of the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity Trade (FACT) dialogue was released. Each partner in the action coalition will briefly talk about their significance and role in the coalition. The sessions also featured a moderated panel discussion on, ‘Balancing Sustainable Land use with Agriculture & Forest linked Commodities Trade’. View the recording here

Quarterly Partners Meeting FOLU India CREST 26 April 2022

After the official launch of the CREST initiative at the India Sustainability Standards conference held in 2021, a quarterly Partners’ Meeting under FOLU India CREST program was organised on 26 April, 2022. The lead up to the partners meeting entailed the holding of Stakeholderconsultations. During this time, Centre for Responsible Business was identified as the Co- ordinating Unit for FOLU CREST. An agenda of the meeting was shared with all partners prior to the meeting. Read the full discussion here

Quarterly Partners Meeting FOLU India CREST 30 August 2022.

The Quarterly Partners Meeting held on 30 August 2022 featured discussions on the session to be held at this year’s edition of the India and Sustainability Standards Conference. Other key items have been added as part of Action Points to meet one of the Initiative’s key objectives, which is to to build and strengthen India’s position as a steward of responsible sourcing and trade. Read the MOM here

Quarterly Partners Meeting FOLU India CREST 20 December 2022

The Quarterly Partners Meeting held on 20 December 2022 featured discussions on the development of knowledge outputs as part of the CREST Initiative as well as points pertaining to Fundraising. Read the MOM here

Quarterly Partners Meeting FOLU India CREST 20 February 2023

The Quarterly Partners Meeting held on 20 February 2023 featured discussions on positioning of FOLU India CREST at G20 proceedings, fundraising opportunities, amongst other Discussion Points. Read the full MOM here.

ISS Session 2022 - Sustainable Supply Chains in Forest and Agri-linked Commodities

Please watch the proceedings of the session co-hosted with FOLU India CREST Partners at ISS 2022 with the objectives being :

1)Exploration of pathways to ensure sustainability in business models of companies in relation to sourcing and procurement with a win-win situation for the business and environment and societies as well as

2)Discussion on best practices and challenges in integrating sustainable practices in value chains of Forest and Agri linked commodities to ensure the sustainability interventions within and beyond the reporting requirements.