As of 1 January 2021, the government of Belgium represented by the Ministry of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal, joined the AD Partnership.
“The partnership represents a considerable lever to build a dialogue with all stakeholders: the private sector, civil society, producer countries and other major consumer countries. I am hopeful that this approach will help reduce the biodiversity and climate impacts of our imports and eliminate imported deforestation” says Zakia Khattabi, Federal Minister of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal of Belgium.
Cocoa
In 2018, the national cocoa initiative “Beyond Chocolate” was initiated, with high sustainability ambitions for the Belgium chocolate sector. Partners in the initiative are working to end deforestation, stimulate education for future generations and enable living incomes for cocoa growers.
The cocoa-processing industry, chocolatiers, retailers and companies that are active in the Belgian chocolate sector will substantially intensify their investments into the sustainable development of the cocoa sector in the coming years. Through Beyond Chocolate, the government of Belgium co-funds projects to improve the sustainability of the cocoa value chain. The initiative convenes the Belgian cocoa stakeholders around these pilot investments, sharing best practices and learning, in order to upscale change (see also www.beyondchocolate.be) .
Palm oil
The Belgian Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil (BASP) was already founded in 2012 and has members from sector federations and companies. Its 500 company members represent small and medium enterprises and large manufacturers throughout the value chain (for food and oleochemicals) The goal of 100% certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) was reached in 2016 and so BASP is currently working towards more ambitious targets regarding traceability, forests and peatland protection, and support for smallholders.
Soya
The Belgian Feed Association (BFA) initiated the Belgian Socially Responsible Feed Flows platform. The platform comprises farmers, dairy producers, food processors, and retailers. Together they designed the BFA mv-soya standard (Responsible Soya Standard) and since then BFA-members jointly buy responsible soya standards.
In 2018, 100% of domestic soybean meal consumption was FEFAC Soya Sourcing Guidelines Compliant. 64% could be considered deforestation-free (IDH 2020, European Soya Monitoring Report in 2018).