The Accountability Framework initiative (AFi), a Coalition of 22 environmental and human rights organisations, has published a new resource titled Operational Guidance on Commitments and Progress Pathways. It is designed to support companies that buy, finance, or produce agricultural and forestry commodities to set credible deforestation commitments, in turn helping them meet their climate and nature goals.
The production of soft commodities, such as beef, palm oil, and soy, provides food and livelihoods for billions of people across the globe. Unfortunately, it also drives deforestation and land conversion, which contributes to human rights abuses, and accelerates both climate change and nature loss. As such, companies that buy, finance, or produce these commodities face growing financial, operational, and reputational risks.
2025 is a pivotal year for deforestation action. Many major frameworks—including the Accountability Framework and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)—previously set 2025 as the target year for ending deforestation in commodity supply chains, while legislation such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) adds further pressure.
Companies lack clarity on how to address their supply chain risks
Many companies remain behind on their sustainability goals, confused by shifting deadlines and evolving requirements. The latest Forest 500 report found that 60% of the assessed companies lacked even a policy on deforestation. As 2025 ends, the question is no longer whether to act, but rather how to do so rapidly and effectively.
The new Accountability Framework Operational Guidance on Commitments and Progress Pathways provides a clear roadmap for companies to continue progress beyond 2025, supporting responsible sourcing, regulatory compliance, and meaningful climate and nature action.
“For companies and financial institutions alike, 2025 is an important milestone but not the finish line. Now is the time to re-affirm or establish ambition to protect forests, natural ecosystems, and human rights, and to follow credible, time-bound progress pathways to turn ambition into results,” said Jeff Milder, Director, Accountability Framework initiative.
Supporting companies to set commitments, create action plans, and track progress
This new resource guides companies and financial institutions in setting responsible supply chain commitments, and creating the stepwise plans and milestones needed to achieve them. It also supports business partners and other stakeholders in assessing a company’s ambition levels, plans, and performance.
A comprehensive guide for all companies, it can be used no matter where the businesses sit in the supply chain, or how far they have advanced in their sustainability journeys.
For companies that have already set commitments, the guidance outlines how to make progress and what to do next. For companies that have not yet set commitments, the guidance details how to create them and ensure they are credible.
The AFi launched the new guidance on its website on 8 December 2025. You can download it here.
The Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) is a collaborative programme to protect forests, other natural ecosystems, and human rights by making ethical production and trade the new normal. To achieve this critical transformation, the AFi promotes and supports implementation of the Accountability Framework, a detailed roadmap for setting goals, taking action, and reporting progress towards ethical supply chains.
The initiative is led by the AFi Coalition: a diverse group of environmental and human rights organisations from around the world that developed the Accountability Framework and work to drive positive impact in the agriculture and forestry sectors. Its members include Ceres, CDP, Conservation International, Efeca, Forest Peoples Programme, Forest Trends, Global Canopy, High Carbon Stock Approach, HCV Network, Imaflora, Mighty Earth, National Wildlife Federation, Preferred by Nature, Proforest, Rainforest Alliance, Rainforest Foundation Norway, ResourceTrust Network, Rights and Resources Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, Verité, World Resources Institute, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).