ICIJ Challenges Environmental Audits As Overlooking Deforestation

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) recently issued a report raising concerns that certain auditing firms had certified client companies' practices and products as sustainable while ignoring that these same companies were engaged in deforestation activities. The ICIJ analyzed the inspection records, environmental violation data and court filings of companies in 50 jurisdictions and found many were accused of environmental crimes or other wrongdoing by local communities and government agencies despite their products and practices being certified as "sustainable."

Certification organizations, such as the Forest Stewardship Council and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, are private bodies that set standards and guidelines for how forests should be managed responsibly given their importance to the environment and that deforestation and forest degradation account for 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Much attention has been focused