Soy
The soybean is a species of legume that has its origin in East Asia but is now mainly produced in the United States and South America. It is an annual plant. Normally the soy crop is harvested one time a year. The soybean contains a high level of protein (40%) and consists of oil/fats (20%). The soy crop grows at best in warm (moist) temperatures between 20 °C to 30 °C and can grow on all kinds of soils. Soy production has increased in the past decade as a result of the global demand for soy for food and fodder. A life without this bean is nowadays unthinkable; already 60% of all supermarket products contain soy.Did you know…
- Soy is used as feed for chickens, cows, pigs and other animals
- Soy is also used in non-edible products; the candles on your table are possibly made of soy oil
- The soy plant also has a rather rare and remarkable property: it can extract nitrogen from the air and transport it to the ground, in other words, it has the capacity (to some extent) to fertilize itself
- After China, the Netherlands is the largest soy importer in the world
Most important export countries
- Brazil
- Argentina
- United States of America
- Netherlands
- India
Most important production countries
- United States of America
- Brazil
- Argentina
- China
- India
Production chain
The primary mode of production for export is large scale monoculture plantation system. Average size of soy plantations is 1000 hectare, but larger plantations with 20,000 hectares or even more exist. When the soy is harvested it is collected in big collective silos. After harvesting the soybeans, they need to be crushed. After crushing, 79 percent of the bean will exist of meal and 18 percent of raw soy oil. An amount of approximately 4000 to 6500 tonnes of soy is processed daily in these facilities. The oil is used in human food and non-food industry while the soy meal is used for animal feed. Soy meal is mainly destined for pig and chicken feed. The animal feed contributes to the production of meat, eggs and milk.
Problems
There have been reports of forced labour in soy producing areas, especially in Brazil. In the soy sector, forced labour is mainly found in the establishment of soy plantations which requires hard physical labour for tasks such as the removal of roots from the ground. Poor labour conditions are also common in the cultivation of soy. Long working hours, underpayment, application of large amounts of pesticides without proper protection and worker’s accommodation without sanitary facilities and running water is the norm in many cases. Deforestation is known to be a significant by-product of the rampant soy expansion. In Brazil, numerous “land wars” take place in the shifting margins of the Amazon forest. Conflicts arise because producers buy land from local governments while there are indigenous people and smallholders are living on these lands. Continuous growth of soybeans in monoculture for several consecutive years leads to a reduction in the organic substances in the soil. Such practice causes soil quality deterioration and erosion.
Major Chain Issues
In the soy sector, Fairfood International has identified the following major chain issues:
| Major chain | Production stage |
 Violation of Land Rights |
Production |
 Degradation of Natural Ecosystems |
Production |
 Harmful Agricultural or Aquafarming Practices |
Production |
 Unhealthy and unsafe working conditions |
Production |
 Forced Labour |
Production |
Solutions
The guide below shows certification schemes whose standards indicate a match with some or all of Fairfood’s researched major issues for this commodity. To learn more about the schemes, click on their logo.
 Fairtrade |
 Global Gap |
 EU Organic Labels |
 Rainforest Alliance |
 ProTerra Certified |
 EcoSocial |
 IMO Fair for Life |
| Production |
Production |
Production |
Production |
Production |
Production |
Production |
In addition to making use of standards and certification schemes, major issues in this commodity could also be addressed in a customised manner. The box below outlines a few examples of initiatives that deal with sustainability issues in this particular sector. Companies could join some of the platforms or roundtables mentioned below. These could serve as a stepping stone to increased sustainability. Other initiatives, in the form of corporate programmes and chain partnerships, could serve as inspiration for replication by other companies within the sector. To learn more about any of the initiatives, click on their logo.
| Roundtable
Roundtable on Responsible Soy |
The Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a multi-stakeholder initiative founded in 2006 by various stakeholders including the World Wildlife Fund, Unilever, AHOLD, Monsanto and Cargill. Its goal is to act as a platform for the establishment of standards for responsible soy production. After finalising the RTRS Standard in 2010, RTRS has developed a certification system and label to identify soy that was produced in accordance with these standards. Soy producers will have to undergo verification, developed by RTRS, in order to qualify for this label. RTRS is finalizing the details of their system in hopes to begin trading certified soy by the beginning of 2011. The initiative has received major criticism since it also represents genetically modified soy production. As a result, the support for RTRS is divided amongst the stakeholders. |
Chain Partnership |
The Soy Producer Support Initiative (SOYPSI) is a four-year Solidaridad Producer Support Program founded by Solidaridad, World Wildlife Fund, and the Roundtable on Responsible Soy in 2009. SOYPSI facilitates support centers as coordination points, and provides training in compliance, production techniques, and sales skills for farmers. The farmers need to comply with RTRS criteria, and additional criteria are included on organic practices: no-GMO use, earlier cut-off dates on non-deforested land use and soy that is derived exclusively from family farms. The SOYPSI criteria address the priority issues for soy. |
