Global Canopy

21/08/2025

The finance sector has a vital role to play in ending global deforestation – yet only a small minority of financial institutions take substantive action on forest loss.

The Forest 500 – Finance report, "Deforestation is a bad investment", published last week finds that:

🔍 US$8.9 trillion was provided by the 150 financial institutions assessed to the deforestation economy through the Forest 500 companies.

🏦 Just three financial institutions – Vanguard, BlackRock and JPMorganChase – together provided over US$1.6 trillion, giving them significant influence on deforestation, ecosystem conversion and associated abuses.

🌍 Financial institutions headquartered in China, the US and France provided the most finance to corporate laggards – the companies with no public deforestation commitments.

Read the full report and discover the full findings: https://forest500.org/publications/forest-500-finance-report-deforestation-is-a-bad-investment/

15/08/2025

🔎 A new investigation by Dialogue Earth uncovers serious human rights and environmental abuses in India’s leather industry, which supplies shoes to Deichmann, Gabor and H&M.

⚠️Many workers earn below minimum wage, clean toxic sludge by hand and face deadly health risks, despite EU laws requiring companies to ensure fair and safe supply chains.

💡 Emma Thomson, and Tracking Lead at Global Canopy, explained that companies need to be more transparent, disclosing grievances, monitoring and compliance processes and suppliers' lists — and then they need to act on it: "That's the only way to push for change and better practices," Emma added.

📢 A must-read for anyone working on corporate accountability, human rights or fashion -> https://dialogue.earth/en/justice/global-shoe-brands-tied-to-toxic-tannery-conditions-in-india/

12/08/2025

🌳 New research from Conservation International finds that Afro-descendant lands in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname, have lower rates of and larger quantities of both and irrecoverable carbon than the norm.

📢 Marina Comandulli, Senior Human Rights and Deforestation Associate at Global Canopy, comments: “The strong environmental stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendant communities underscores why organisations operating in risk supply chains must integrate local knowledge and rights into their policies and operations. Eradicating deforestation cannot be achieved without protecting the rights of Peoples and local communities.”

💡 Read the article ->
https://www.conservation.org/press-releases/2025/07/22/new-research-deforestation-rates-on-recognized-afro-descendant-lands-in-brazil-colombia-ecuador-and-suriname-are-as-much-as-55-lower-than-the-norm

11/08/2025

🌳 Coming soon: Global Canopy’s first standalone Forest 500 – Finance report.

🏦Every year, Forest 500 assesses the 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to deforestation risk, ranking them on the strength and implementation of their policies on deforestation, ecosystem conversion and associated human rights abuses.

💡This assessment previously featured in the main Forest 500 report – now, for the first time, it will be published as a dedicated finance-focused publication.

📢 Watch this space for the launch.

08/08/2025

🏦 Barclays UK and UBS have announced their departure from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), following HSBC ’s exit in July 2025.

📢 Pei Chi Wong, Finance Sector Guidance Lead at Global Canopy said: “Nature loss and disruption pose growing risks to businesses and economies. The Bank of England has warned that climate change represents a threat to the UK’s economic stability. These are collective problems that need collective solutions. It’s counterintuitive to act alone.”

🔎 Global Canopy will soon publish its annual assessment of the 150 financial institutions with the greatest exposure to risk.

Read The Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/01/barclays-hsbc-exit-net-zero-banking-alliance

US banks have already pulled out of NZBA, the UN environment programme’s finance initiative

07/08/2025

⚠️ “Conflicts do not arise because people demand their rights but because their rights are violated”.

🎯 The latest Annual Report of Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) outlines their impact in 2024, focusing on four strategic priorities: Strong peoples and communities, just, diverse and economies, effective, accessible and just legal system, resilient networks and movements.

🤝 We are proud to work with the Forest Peoples Programme in supporting Peoples’ and forest peoples' voices to address the interconnected human rights, and biodiversity crises.

🔎 Read the full report, which also includes their 5-year Strategic Framework Plan (2025-2030):

Annual Report 2024- Forest Peoples Programme - Working with forest peoples to secure their rights

06/08/2025

🔎 As scrutiny of financial institutions’ links to intensifies, independent data is more vital than ever for informed consumer action.

📢 At a recent Global Canopy webinar, Katalin Csatadi, Researcher and Writer at Ethical Consumer Magazine , explained how Forest 500 open access data feeds into the organisation’s ratings and guides.

💡 Read the insight: https://globalcanopy.org/insights/podcasts/using-forest-500-deforestation-data-to-build-transparency/

29/07/2025

🌍 “We cannot achieve our own, let alone UK and global, goals to avoid the worst impacts of change and loss without protecting existing forests.”

⏳ Nine of the UK’s largest supermarkets are urging the UK Government in an open letter to act swiftly on long-delayed anti-deforestation laws, warning that further inaction risks trade friction with the EU when the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) enters into force at the end of 2025.

Read more in this edie.net article:
https://www.edie.net/supermarkets-decry-being-left-in-limbo-over-delayed-deforestation-laws/



Aldi UK, Co-op, Lidl GB, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose & Partners

Nine of the UK’s largest supermarkets have implored the UK Government to speed up the implementation of legislation designed to tackle deforestation in supply chains, first promised in 2021.

25/07/2025

🌍 “We need to learn how to look at the earth’s soul.” - Davi Kopenawa Yanomami

🍀 leaders and guardians of ancestral wisdom from and the Amazon, including Ailton Krenak, Adana Kambeba and Dario Kopenawa, recently visited the UK to highlight the battle being fought by their communities to protect their homes.

📍 Beginning with the Harmony Summit hosted by King Charles at the Highgrove Estate, the delegation then met Parliamentarians to highlight the destruction caused by illegal gold mining.

💡 Davi, Ailton and Adana were later joined in conversation by Kate Raworth, renegade economist, Merlin Sheldrake, biologist, and Antonio Donato Nobre, pioneering earth scientist, in London to help spark deeper shifts in how we live with the Earth.

Watch the recording of the event here ⬇️

English - https://youtu.be/zGeV2A35Dcs?utm_source=Global+Canopy

Brazilian Portuguese - https://youtu.be/e-GRUOagPCE?utm_source=Global+Canopy

📸 Courtney Louise/ The King's Foundation

24/07/2025

Are you an expert in nature-related finance? Do you have a strong understanding of nature-based solutions and practices?

We are seeking a senior consultant from August into early September to support the delivery of an ambitious new book on investing in nature. The book supports the global transition toward a nature-positive economy, providing opportunities for investment that go far beyond investors’ current focus on regenerative agriculture and reforestation.

You will bring a nuanced perspective on complex topics in the field, including ‘nature positive’, and strong attention to detail, as well as editorial and written communication skills to the organisation.

📆 04 August

📍 Remote

We strongly welcome interest from candidates based in the UK and internationally.

Details of the workplan and how to apply: https://globalcanopy.org/jobs/senior-nature-finance-expert-consultant/

23/07/2025

⚠️ As some companies step back from voluntary disclosures, independent data on deforestation risk exposure becomes even more important.

💡 At a recent Global Canopy webinar, Heather Clancy from Trellis Group highlighted how open access data like helps investigative journalists validate corporate claims on deforestation, spot emerging trends and push for greater transparency across global supply chains.

🔎 Read the insight: https://globalcanopy.org/insights/podcasts/using-forest-500-deforestation-data-to-build-transparency/

21/07/2025

📢 We have some exciting news to share! Global Canopy and its Forest 500 project has been shortlisted as Research Institute of the Year in the 2025.

🎯 Now in its 11th year, the Forest 500 assesses the companies and financial institutions most exposed to , conversion and associated human rights abuses. Our data is available to all because transparency drives change and action on deforestation is essential if we’re to achieve our goals.

🙌 A big shout out to our tireless research team!

🌳 Stay tuned for the winner reveal on 17 October: https://event.edie.net/netzeroawards/2025_finalists

edie.net