True Cost of Food: Unpacking the value of the food system
FReSH’s True Cost of Food discussion paper identifies methodological and data gaps to be filled to make true cost accounting (TCA) for food sector companies more robust, consistent and user-friendly. It also explores what is required to establish true cost approaches in the business environment, moving TCA from corporate sustainability teams to the desks of CEOs and CFOs of food companies. These organisational dimensions are especially critical in making TCA a core tool of strategic business decision-making.
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The Impact Valuation Roundtable White Paper
The Impact Valuation Roundtable White Paper was shared publicly at WBCSD’s member event in March 2017. In the paper, the group of roundtable companies highlights ongoing challenges and commits to tackle them collaboratively, stating: “We will continue our engagement with stakeholders – in a supportive and critical way – in the development of simplification, convergence, operationalization and alignment on impact valuation methods and valuation coefficients.”
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The 2019 Social & Human Capital Protocol
The Protocol is a framework for businesses to measure and value their impacts and dependencies on people and society. It was designed to support effective business decision-making and communicate the full value business generates for society. It includes twenty company case studies, feedback from public consultation and is streamlined for use alongside the Natural Capital Protocol.
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TEEBAgriFood Scientific and Economic Foundations report
The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report was developed to address the core theoretical issues and controversies underpinning the evaluation of the nexus between the agri-food sector, biodiversity and ecosystem services and externalities including human health impacts from agriculture on a global scale. Developed by teams of scientists, researchers and economists it argues the need for a ‘systems thinking’ approach, draws out issues related to health, nutrition, equity and livelihoods, and presents a Framework for evaluation and describes how it can be applied. It identifies broad uses of the Framework in theories and pathways for transformational change. Download a pdf of the report (6.2 MB)

Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use
The academic and scientific community has articulated in the last five years a remarkable opportunity to transform food and land use systems, but as the challenges are growing, we need to act with great urgency. The global report from the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) proposes a reform agenda – centred around ten critical transitions – of real actionable solutions. If actioned, the transitions could boost progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, help mitigate the negative effects of climate change, safeguard biodiversity, ensure more healthy diets for all, drastically improve food security and create more inclusive rural economies. The report performs a global food system impact valuation called the ‘hidden costs’ of the global food systems, and estimates the costs of not acting. Investment amounts and potential return for companies in the transformation are also costed.
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2019 Report of the FABLE Consortium: Pathways to Sustainable Land-Use and Food Systems
FABLE was convened as part of the Food and Land-Use Coalition (FOLU). It aims to understand how countries can transition towards sustainable land-use and food systems. In particular, we ask how countries can collectively meet associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the Paris Agreement. FABLE comprises 19 country teams, which develop data and modelling infrastructure to promote ambitious, integrated strategies towards sustainable land-use and food systems. The 2019 report of the FABLE consortium identifies sustainability targets for the global food system and details the pathways to 2030 to achieve them. Download a pdf of the report (14.6 MB)

Natural Capital Protocol Food and Beverage Sector Guide
Farmers, traders, wholesalers, food manufacturing companies, and retailers together make up the world’s largest sector, generating an approximate global value of around USD 12.5 trillion based on revenue, or 17% of world GDP in 2013. The Natural Capital Protocol provides a standardized framework to help food and beverage sector businesses identify, measure, and value their impacts and dependences on natural capital.
Download a pdf of the guide (1.7MB)

The Business Case for True Pricing Report
Deloitte, EY, PwC and True Price compiled a report on the opportunities which monetizing social and environmental impact presents. The report includes case studies from Solvay, Kering, Infosys, DSM, BAM, Holcim, Hivos and Tony’s Chocolonely, illustrating how organizations use monetization to step up their management of externalities (an organisation’s costs or benefits to society). The report will help companies understand what monetizing is all about and how it can support the business case for sustainability.
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Natural Capital Credit Risk Assessment in Agricultural Lending

The report enables financial institutions to conduct natural capital credit risk assessment across different agricultural sectors and geographies, taking into account factors such as water availability, use and quality; soil health; biodiversity; energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The new sector-specific guide is consistent with the leading international standard for including natural capital in business decision-making, the Natural Capital Protocol and complements the Natural Capital Finance Alliance’s new ENCORE tool and step-by-step guide to incorporating natural capital into bank’s risk management processes.

The approach was developed in response to growing demand for better frameworks to assess natural capital risks in key sectors of the economy.
Download the PDF of the report (1.9MB)