Commodities
The Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains Initiative (SASI) takes a cross-commodity approach. It looks at agricultural supply chains from a thematic perspective instead of focusing on individual commodities. This work is based on comprehensive technical expertise on the respective raw materials. There is also a close exchange with commodity-specific multi-stakeholder partnerships such as the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO) and the Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP).
Banana
Bananas are the second most popular fruit among Germans after apples. Mostly the Bananas consumed in the EU are imported from Latin America, where 80 per cent are grown on medium-large plantations. The most important producer countries for the world market are Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Colombia. Germany is one of the largest importers of bananas and thus contributes significantly to the problems in the producing countries.
Cotton
Around 25 million households in approximately 75 countries around the world produce cotton. From seed grain to cotton bale, it is estimated that the cotton sector provides a livelihood for 150 million people worldwide. In most countries of the Global South, such as India, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tanzania, but also in parts of China, cotton is farmed predominantly by smallholders. In Africa, it is cultivated largely by families performing manual labour and fieldwork. Yields are very low by global standards and cannot guarantee an adequate and living wage. Cheaper synthetic fibres are in direct competition with cotton and threaten the competitiveness of small farmers in particular.
Coffee
Coffee is produced by around 12.5 million farming households in over 50 countries around the equator and constitutes an important contributor to their economic livelihoods. Millions of smallholder farmers often cannot cover their production costs with their income.
Cocoa
The global cocoa sector is crucial to the livelihoods of approximately 5,5 million producers, 95% of whom are smallholder farmers. However, the sector faces significant challenges, including persistent poverty of cocoa farmers, which, among other factors, leads to child labor. In Côte d'Ivoire, the world's largest cocoa exporting country, 90% of cocoa farmers earn less than a living income, with households earning only 36% of what is needed. Fluctuating market prices and power imbalances in value chains worsen their income situation. Environmental challenges such as deforestation, crop failures, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss are compounded by climate change, further threatening cocoa production. The EU, as the largest cocoa importer, and Germany, as a leading producer of cocoa-based products, have a critical responsibility in addressing these challenges in collaboration with the many stakeholders involved in the cocoa sector.
Natural rubber
Natural rubber is a component of many everyday products, for example tyres, latex gloves, mattresses, and condoms. Natural Rubber is of a strategic importance for industrial societies and the only regenerative raw material that is listed as ‘Critical Raw Material’ by the EU.
Palm oil
Palm oil is contained in many products of our daily consumption and the global demand is constantly increasing. In Germany, palm oil can be found in products in all sectors: the food industry and the animal feed sector the chemical industry and even in the energy sector. Indonesia and Malaysia produce 84 per cent of the world's palm oil. The oil palm plantations are largely managed by companies, but oil palm cultivation is also a relevant source of income for millions of smallholder farmers.
Soy
Over 80% of the world's soybean production of 366 million tons (2020/21) is produced in the USA, Brazil and Argentina. In the EU, only 2.8 million tons of soy (soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil) were produced in 2020/21, with imports of just under 32 million tons. As a legume, soy beans are well suited for cultivation in a crop rotation with other crops due to their ability to fix nitrogen and thus reduce the need for mineral nitrogen fertiliser.