Support for legal and traceable agricultural commodities and timber decoupled from deforestation
Deforestation and forest degradation driven by the growing demand for agricultural commodities and wood products, have prompted governments of consumer countries to enact due diligence legislation to curb imports of products which are considered illegal, of unknown origin and unsustainably produced. Under these laws, operators are required to assess and mitigate corresponding supply‑chain risks. Reliance on certification or verification systems, commonly known as assurance systems, for the sourcing of products can help mitigate these risks. The Assurance System Evaluation Framework (ASEF) was developed to evaluate the scope, robustness and governance of assurance systems in a detailed, standardized and comparable manner. System evaluations are intended to support assurance systems in strengthening their standards and processes, help operators understand how the use of particular assurance systems can contribute to their due diligence efforts and inform authorities enforcing due diligence legislation about the reliability and relevance of assurance systems and claims used by operators. The ASEF is currently aligned with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the only major deforestation-related due diligence regulation adopted to date, but will be updated as new and significant due diligence legislation is enacted.
