Vizzuality publish global SBTN-aligned nature accounting datasets to go beyond emissions reductions in agricultural supply chains.

Madrid | Nov. 8 2023

Vizzuality has published a new collection of global maps that will allow businesses to measure the land, carbon and biodiversity impacts of agricultural supply chains. The map datasets are freely available to the community through LandGriffon. Anyone working in the sector can use them to carry out nature-based accounting aligned with the latest Science-Based Target Network (SBTN), the Taskforce on Nature-Related Disclosures (TNFD), and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) standards.

As sustainability commitments and regulations move beyond emissions calculations towards a holistic nature-based approach of measuring their sustainability impact, companies need accessible data they can use to take action now.

Publishing this data openly contributes to a culture of urgency, transparency, and shared responsibility for change to help companies and their advisors spend less time on data prep and more time on action.

“If we want to solve the climate and nature crisis, everyone needs to be able to access knowledge on the impact of business on nature. We want to make it as easy as possible for companies to act today, and to inspire others to do the same.” — Francis Gassert, Strategy & Impact, Vizzuality

Location Data for Carbon and Nature Accounting.

The datasets include preprocessed data for five indicator areas:

1. Deforestation;
2. Greenhouse gas emissions;
3. Loss of natural ecosystems;
4. Biodiversity loss resulting from agricultural production according to the Forest Integrity index;
5. Biodiversity loss resulting from agricultural production according to the Biodiversity Intactness index.

The data is based on trusted, high-resolution geospatial data from Global Forest Watch, the World Resources Institute, Impact Observatory, ESRI and Conservation International, among other credible industry sources, and tailored for companies to measure nature impacts and prioritize sustainability actions across agricultural supply chains.

These datasets employ a unique spatial accounting approach that creates consistent results even if companies don’t know the exact locations of their suppliers. Companies can get results with just regional or country-level inputs. The datasets are made available by Vizzuality here, with the methodologies and code.

Vizzuality’s LandGriffon platform makes best use of these freely available datasets so that companies can readily get insights on the nature impacts of their supply chains, set and report on SBTN-aligned targets, and prioritize actions for a better future.

LandGriffon: Simplified Nature Accounting so Everyone Can Take Action

Screenshots from the LandGriffon platform showing the map and chart functionalities. This allows companies to spatially analyze their supply chain and forecast environmental impacts through scenario setting, such as impact reduction measures and predicted growth.

Reporting standards are increasingly making use of location-based data to check compliance. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires geo-coordinates from the product’s source, and LEAP from the TNFD asks companies to “Locate your interface with nature.” At this stage, full traceability can be unrealistic for some companies who do not know the location of every supplier in their supply chain.

LandGriffon helps companies towards the goal of traceability, regardless of where they are starting. Companies just need to input the agricultural materials they use, and the most precise available location estimate of where they’re sourced, and the platform will produce report-ready nature insights.

With these insights, companies can better understand:

• What materials, business units, regions or suppliers are the largest sources of impacts and risks;
• Where the greatest opportunities are to reduce impacts and risks;
• How to measure progress against targets.

LandGriffon’s maps combine direct land-use change accounting methodology and statistical land-use change (sLUC) accounting to present hectares of deforestation per hectare of land use. sLUC is usually carried out at the country level, but LandGriffon is able to model sLUC to a 50km radius of a given location, anywhere in the world.

LandGriffon also allows companies to run simulations and scenarios. Users can simulate scenarios such as:

• Working with farmers to reduce environmental impact and increase yield;
• Changing product recipes or fiber types and content;
• Sourcing the same materials from producers with lower environmental footprints.

Users can then compare these scenarios to historical data or company targets. This enables companies to focus traceability efforts, plan for the future, and improve reporting.

To learn more about how these open datasets and the LandGriffon platform can help you, join the launch webinar on Nov 21st at 3 pm CEST/9 am EDT.

About Vizzuality

Vizzuality is the agency responsible for some of the world’s most impactful and widely used environmental data applications, including Global Forest Watch, Trase.Earth, and the Half-Earth Project Map. We develop digital products, strategies and services that detect deforestation, calculate carbon emissions, and map biodiversity. Our team of developers, designers, scientists and analysts work with businesses, government, and NGOs to create the change that is needed today.

About LandGriffon

LandGriffon allows companies to measure, analyze, and strategise environmental impacts across their supply chain. Our unique methodology is aligned with the SBTN and TNFD LEAP guidances on nature accounting to help you find zero-carbon and nature-positive solutions, enhance traceability, make effective decisions, and accelerate sustainability at speed and scale.