Soy is the most produced oilseed in the world. Soy is coveted for its nutritional and functional properties. This lipid and protein-rich seed is mainly cultivated for animal feed, as 85% of global soy production is consumed by livestock. It is also used in many sectors, such as food, biofuel, and industrial applications.

Our strategic ambition is to use the power of the supply chain to help transform the soy industry to become Nature and People Positive.

We envision a soy industry that protects human rights, the resilience of farmers and communities, the sustainability of ecosystems and forests, and the regeneration of the soils through the transformation of cultivation practices.

For this purpose, Earthworm relies on its expertise in three work streams:

• To achieve "clean supplies" by developing solutions to pilot, monitor and verify global supply chains at scale and ensure they are free from deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems.
• To achieve "responsible suppliers" by engaging suppliers to commit and implementing a pragmatic program through a collaborative process.
• To achieve "people and nature positive sourcing landscapes" by implementing ecosystem protection and regenerative practices, for people and the environment in key sourcing regions. Assessment, training, land use plans and conflict resolution support the protection of human rights and the resilience of communities. Conservation and restoration plans, including incentives for protection, will promote the sustainability of ecosystems and forests. The transformation of cultivation practices will help to regenerate soil fertility, protect water sources and biodiversity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With a strong international presence, both in soy-producing countries (US, Brazil) and in consuming countries (Europe), Earthworm covers global supply chains. We also collaborate with NGOs, public authorities, academic experts, and investors to ensure we have the impact we want.

Earthworm engages with our partners in long-term projects to drive impact in supply chains and landscapes. Our vision is to deploy open-source, industry-wide, credible, and practical approaches for soy sustainability. We offer support to companies to build Nature and People Positive supply chains.

• Strategic advice: develop soy policies and commitments, guidance on deforestation-free methodologies and tools. See our work under the French Soy Manifesto.
• Transparency or "getting to know the supply chain": soy footprint, traceability, risk assessment of soy origin, evaluation of soy suppliers. See our work under the Zero Deforestation and Conversion (ZDC) methodology.
• Supplier engagement: We work with downstream suppliers to sensitise and engage in soy policy, and with upstream suppliers to implement and participate in transformation interventions. We also provide support on grievance tracking and resolution.
• Field transformation: We identify local field interventions that are making a positive impact, including finance mechanisms for sustainable soy, and build connections to suppliers so that they can provide direct and indirect support to transformation initiatives
• Monitoring and evaluation: learning and reporting on sustainable soy interventions, identification of sustainable soy intervention's success factors, and comparison among multiple interventions
• Reporting: Support companies to report against external frameworks and internal KPIs.

To create a consistent European market demand for sustainable soy, we coordinate the French Soy Manifesto, a collective commitment to ensure soy supplies are not linked to deforestation or conversion of natural ecosystems.

Our work to promote the Manifesto amongst the largest European soy importers has led to adopting similar initiatives in the Netherlands and the UK.

In 2022, the method was tested on soymeal shipments between Brazil and France. A total of 231,531 T of Brazilian soymeal was analysed by Earthworm Foundation, representing approximately 12% of annual soymeal imports to France.

Learn more about the ZDC Methodology