The Potential of Voluntary Sustainability Initiatives to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

To address concerns about tropical deforestation because of rising global demand for food, fuel and fiber, Voluntary Sustainability Initiatives (VSIs) have emerged as a tool to ensure that the production of agricultural and timber commodities for global markets does not result in forest loss. Many companies and members of commodity roundtables rely on VSIs as a framework to implement sustainable production and sourcing policies and attain market recognition.

The objective of this study, produced by Climate Focus for USAID’s Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) Program, is to assess the potential of VSIs to contribute to reductions in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries based on their substantive and procedural requirements.

You can also download the Full Report, Executive Summary and Annexes from the Leaf Asia website.