A New Perspective on Responsible Soy

RTRS membership rose to 197 and our annual RT12 conference had 180 attendees - a resounding success. Our ongoing challenge, however, is to increase the scale and scope of our activities, to become more than just a global standard for responsible soy. At the same time, we need to strengthen the “one-stop shop” role of RTRS, bringing together responsible soy actors and promoting a vital debate for the sector. We need to transform the market and the sector to meet the demands of our stakeholders. 

As the new President of RTRS, my priority will naturally be to build on our track record of success and support our team and associates, with the aim of expanding the supply and demand for responsible soy. We can do this, in the first instance, by increasing the intensity and proactiveness of our work with our associates to promote responsible soy more frequently and as strongly as possible. This means more dialogue, more powerful conversations, and collaboration in working to realize our vision. That's why we are a "round table" - this is a fundamental issue. 

We need relevant actions. The global demand for soybeans – most of which is used for animal feed – continues to increase. An estimate by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicates that the demand for soybeans will almost double in 2050. In the last 50 years, the amount of land dedicated to soybean cultivation in the world has increased tenfold. Much of this cultivation is concentrated in South America, often at the expense of some of the most important natural ecosystems on the planet. This continued pressure is yet another indication of the importance of responsible soy. 

Our partnership - RTRS - began in 2006, with the belief that we could dramatically transform this market and ensure a more sustainable future for these precious natural landscapes. Since then, our standard and our continuous improvement efforts have led to the inclusion of social and environmental issues, such as zero deforestation, in our certification process. We now offer a truly responsible soy standard that global market actors can use as a tool to help them honor their public commitments. 

We now need to enter the next phase of our growth and development process. In addition to generating more demand, especially in Europe, we will establish even more strategic alliances with governments, NGOs and consumer brands to strengthen the call for responsibility at all points in the chain - from farm to fork. We will support national and specific “task forces” in individual markets. Let's raise resources for new projects. We will continue working to be a round table that brings together all actors in the world of soy to discuss the issues that matter. 

The importance of the bridge between South America and Europe is (and will continue to be) critical. On European territory, demand is generated for a level of supply that we know our producers are capable of covering. Our model is proven. The challenges are the ever-increasing demands on land and population growth. Furthermore, many consumers simply don't realize how much soy is part of the products they purchase - especially meat and dairy products.

RTRS will continue working to coordinate and bring together partners. We can act to ensure synergies and avoid overlaps between global efforts to make soy a more responsible product. We can work more with governments where needed and delve deeper into new markets – like Asia. 

We can also advocate and promote best practices. In the Netherlands there is strong support for actions in the soy sector, including from the government. 

Since the launch of RTRS more than a decade ago, there have been several iterations of sustainability standards and programs focused on soy. This is a hallmark of our success. As we work increasingly to strengthen our position on zero deforestation, labor rights and the rights of local land users, we raise the benchmark for others to adopt. Our work does not end; The standard we set, often in collaboration with other standards, is seen by the global market as a reference point for responsible soy. 

Our success depends on advancing this important conversation, bringing new players to the market, driving demand and, through combined efforts, becoming a focal point for the efforts of all actors towards this important objective. 

On our supermarket shelves, there is increasing demand for transparency, sustainability and decent working conditions. The main consumer brands are teaming up with RTRS, as well as global NGOs, producers and the main actors in the animal feed industry. We know that expanding responsible soy is good for producers, the environment, consumers and companies that have vision and know that RTRS is a forum - open and with diverse stakeholders - that they can trust. History is on our side.