Saving tropical forests across an area the size of Wales
The CIPS Foundation has supported the Welsh climate change charity Size of Wales with a grant that will build awareness of the effects of deforestation on our world.
CIPS Foundation is supporting the climate change charity, Size of Wales, for a second successive year. They are set to receive another grant that will go towards implementing the ‘Promoting Deforestation-Free Procurement in Wales’ project, which has already proved to be successful in raising awareness of deforestation and the related consequences.
For decades, the “size of Wales” was used as a unit of measurement for the destruction of our most precious natural habitats. It’s estimated that over six million hectares of tropical forest were lost in 2024 alone - an area that is three times the size of Wales.
Much of this deforestation occurs as a result of economic pressure for the production of materials known as ‘forest-risk commodities’. These include soy, palm oil, beef, coffee, the cacao used to produce chocolate, and timber. Beyond publicising this, the main aim of the charity is for Wales to become the world’s first ‘deforestation free nation’ by not consuming and importing these commodities
Research by the charity suggests that a forested area 40% the size of the country is used to produce these, just for Wales alone. Tropical forests also play a key role in the fight against climate change, additionally supporting the lives of indigenous people and animals, many of them threatened with extinction.
Spreading knowledge with help from CIPS
The Promoting Deforestation-Free Procurement in Wales project addresses the fact that the charity has found a widespread lack of knowledge of the effects of commodities on the process of deforestation. For instance, imported soy is used in animal feed in Welsh farms, but is produced by clearing large tracts of forest. Where there is awareness, people do not know which certification schemes are the most effective.
The project mainly works with public sector procurement organisations to spread awareness, knowledge, and act as an incremental driver of change. There are five aims behind its extended funding from the CIPS Foundation:
- The project will continue to raise awareness of Wales’s effect on global deforestation footprint. This is associated with human rights abuses of Indigenous Peoples, so there will be a continuing series of sessions on this subject for suppliers based in Wales and Welsh County Councils.
- Councils will be encouraged to sign up as Deforestation Free Champions and put deforestation concerns at the heart of their procurement practices. This will mean strengthening the partnership with Ardal (this is the name of the procurement service that brings together Cardiff Council as well as the councils in the Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen and Monmouthshire). It will look at getting the procurement policy changed here and then replicating it elsewhere.
- Size of Wales will work with suppliers to speed up changes in the supply chain. This will involve sharing tools for audit checks and making templates available to review internal policies and practices.
- The project will look at ways to extend the influence young people can have on procurement decisions and look at getting them involved in campaigning.
- One of the most powerful ways of making people care about deforestation and human rights abuses is to share powerful, human-centred stories. The project will share these stories to help inspire action and inform the report being launched at COP30 about soy and beef production.
Reaching towards an ambitious goal
The funding extension means that the reach of the project can be expanded beyond its existing area and organisations. While the focus will stay on certain key councils, it can now spread beyond South Wales to the rest of the country.
New councils will be encouraged to become deforestation champions and there are going to be peer-to-peer learning events showcasing different approaches. Young people will benefit, too, with more students being encouraged to design menus that avoid products which feature ingredients made by deforestation.
There could also be campaign grants for small groups of students who want to run their own awareness campaigns. A special Youth Advisory Panel might also be used to put pressure on council procurement functions and school teams.
Sizes of Wales’s long-term goal that Wales is free from the products of deforestation is an ambitious target. But it is one that the Promoting Deforestation-Free Procurement in Wales project is a step towards. In the meantime, the charity is helping people, trees and biodiverse forests to thrive together, at the same time as helping secure, sustain and restore these vital resources. This is a goal that CIPS are happy to support.
“Size of Wales is addressing one of the most difficult areas in the fight against climate change and conservation - behavioural change. By engaging with councils, suppliers and other public bodies they’re tackling the economic reasons behind deforestation and trying to help people make more informed sourcing decisions.” - Ben Farrell, CEO of CIPS