Taking Action to Halt Deforestation with the LEAF Coalition – Corporate Perspectives

LEAF has already created one of the biggest demand signals – more than $1 billion so far – for emissions reductions generated through large-scale forest protection efforts at the national or sub-national level – known as the jurisdictional approach. With support to date from three donor governments (Norway, UK and US) and over 20 global corporations from a range of sectors and industries, LEAF is expected to become one of the largest ever public-private efforts to end deforestation. This white paper explores a variety of reasons why major corporations chose to join the Coalition. Drawing on insights and feedback from over ten LEAF participants, five key themes emerged:

• Taking climate action by protecting tropical forests ​
• Driving change at scale with collective action ​
• Investing in high-quality emissions reductions from jurisdictional programmes ​
• Supporting nature and people goals ​
• Achieving synergies with deforestation-free commitments 

The $1 billion, mobilized by LEAF Coalition participants in the first year alone, shows the growing sense of commitment among corporations to taking additional action outside their value chains to help protect the world’s forests. The feedback from corporations in this report illustrates the wide variety of ways that protecting forests can support different climate and sustainability strategies. To find out how your business can join the fight to end deforestation visit www.leafcoalition.org or contact leafcompanies@emergentclimate.com.