The Agency for for Green Land Use and Aquatic Environment represents the Danish government in the AD Partnership.
The Danish national initiatives for responsible commodities are hosted by Ethical Trade Denmark | Etisk Handel Danmark, the multi-stakeholder platform established in 2008 to gather the private and public sector, civil society, public institutions under the shared objective of creating responsible value chains through commodity-specific alliances. The Alliances are established as collective action initiatives and follow the Accountability Framework Initiative (AFi) guidance; they also receive public support by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Progress is publicly shared through status reports, and Ethical Trade Danmark shares knowledge and resources via our public Knowledge Center.
Soya
Denmark imports between 1.2 – 1.7 million tons of soya each year, primarily for animal feed and mainly from countries such as Brazil and Argentina. However, soy production is associated with significant environmental and social impacts, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, increased carbon emissions and pressure on local communities. To address these challenges, Ethical Trade Denmark established the Danish Alliance for Responsible Soy in 2019. The alliance brings together key actors in the sector, from retailers to producers to sector associations, to drive collective action aimed at ensuring that soy used in Denmark is responsibly produced and does not contribute to deforestation or the conversion of other natural ecosystems. The Alliance works actively to raise awareness around the challenges of the sector, for example with guidance for suppliers and an ESG-risk primer, and to address challenges at origin with partners, such as WWF in Brazil.
Palm oil
Denmark imports between 320,000 and 360,000 tons of palm oil annually for use in food production, animal feed, and consumer products. Yet palm oil production remains linked to significant environmental and social challenges, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, labor rights issues while climate change further threatens production countries. To address these challenges, Ethical Trade Denmark established the Danish Alliance for Responsible Palm Oil in 2020 to gather relevant actors across the value chain, from retailers to producers and sector associations, who are committed to three shared missions: biodiversity, regeneration and climate action; better livelihoods for smallholders, workers, local communities, and Indigenous Peoples; and greater accountability across the value chain.
Coffee
Denmark is among the world’s top five coffee-consuming countries, with consumers drinking an average of four cups of coffee per day. Yet coffee production requires substantial land, energy, and water, while climate change alone is expected to halve the land suitable for Arabica coffee cultivation by 2050. Recognizing that these challenges cannot be addressed by individual actors alone, Ethical Trade Denmark launched the multi-stakeholder Danish Alliance for Responsible Coffee in 2022. The alliance brings together over 30 actors across the value chain from traders to retailers to solutions providers, to drive collective action in coffee producing countries and leverage our national purchasing power to transform the sector. Through this collaboration, members commit to the alliance’s shared missions: working towards regeneration and climate action, bettering living income and livelihoods, and building accountability in the value chain.