Agri-Food Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Sourcing Criteria - Background Paper

The document outlines the technical requirements for agri-food entities to be certified as deforestation and conversion free (DCF). It establishes a cut-off date of 31 December 2020, mandates geolocation traceability for high-risk origins and specific commodities, and requires rigorous due diligence and annual verification. The criteria align with the EU Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR) and the Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi), extending protections to all natural ecosystems beyond forests.

• Certification is available to agri-food entities that generate more than 50% of their revenue from agri-food commodity supply chains, including traders, processors, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
• The criteria expand upon the EUDR by including the conversion of any natural ecosystem, not just deforestation, and applying to all sourced agri-food commodities regardless of origin risk.
• Full geolocation traceability to the original production land plot is required for all commodities from high-risk origins and for specific high-risk commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, pulp and paper, and soy) regardless of origin.
• For commodities from low-risk origins (excluding the high-risk list), traceability to the country of origin or primary processing facility is sufficient until 1 January 2030, when full geolocation will be required for all.
• The criteria prohibit the use of mass-balance supply chain models, requiring instead that DCF commodities be segregated from non-DCF commodities at every step.
• Climate Bonds uses a risk classification for countries based on Global Forest Watch data; a country is deemed high-risk if the ratio of natural forest land lost between 2018-2022 relative to 2000 cover is higher than 1%.
• Annual verification by approved verifiers involves sampling at least 10% of procured volumes and 10% of total suppliers for both high-risk and low-risk commodities.
• Certification requires entities to have existing programs that include producer-level human rights and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) safeguards, recognizing frameworks such as Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
• Third-party certifications can serve as a proxy for compliance only if they use a cut-off date of 31 December 2020 or earlier and apply to fully segregated or identity-preserved supply chains.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2024). Agri-Food Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Sourcing Criteria - Background Paper. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/background-doc-agri-food-dcf-sourcing-120424.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Agri-Food Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Sourcing Criteria - Background Paper. 2024. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/background-doc-agri-food-dcf-sourcing-120424.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Agri-Food Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Sourcing Criteria - Background Paper |date=12 April 2024 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/background-doc-agri-food-dcf-sourcing-120424.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2024agrifood, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Agri-Food Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Sourcing Criteria - Background Paper}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/drupal-files/files/background-doc-agri-food-dcf-sourcing-120424.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }