Public-good science for transparent global supply chains

Establishing credible, transparent, traceability systems that are designed for the common good is critical to solving the intertwined and defining crises of the decade - those of biodiversity loss and climate breakdown. Consumer demand, expressed through global supply chains, is creating unprecedented pressure on forest landscapes - for timber, agricultural commodities and extractives - and opacity in those supply chains allows plausible deniability at scale.

World Forest ID is working at the intersection of science and law to create the data and tools necessary for current policy initiatives, designed to control illicit trade, increase corporate disclosure, support nature-based solutions to climate change and drive systemic change in the food sector, to have real world impact.

Trees and plants have chemical, genetic and anatomical signatures that are specific to their species and location of harvest. By collecting and analyzing georeferenced tree and plant samples from around the world, World Forest ID creates AI-enabled spatial models that make it possible to understand the source location of traded products. Using our objective, ground-truthed data models, companies can trade transparently, people can consume responsibly, and governments can prosecute criminal behavior.

How the science works

COLLECTION & analysis

We collect geo-referenced plant samples from forests and agricultural land and analyse them to give us a set of chemical measurements specific to a species and the area in which it grew.

Data modeling

The chemical analysis data from samples and environmental data are combined using AI to create spatial reference models that capture chemical variability across landscapes and species ranges.

COMPARISON

By measuring the same chemicals in products in trade, matches can be found within our reference models to verify or challenge a claimed harvest location.

Backed by a growing Global Consortium of scientific partners

The World Forest ID Consortium is a group of public research institutions committed to protecting forests and other ecosystems using science. Facilitated by World Forest ID, its mission is to scale the data necessary to make forest-connected supply chains transparent for all stakeholders, and to support the enforcement of environmental laws. The Consortium aims to expand the realm of relevant knowledge and utilize non-proprietary science and technology for global good.

The World Forest ID Consortium is a group of public research institutions committed to protecting forests and other ecosystems using science. Facilitated by World Forest ID, its mission is to scale the data necessary to make forest connected supply chains transparent for all stakeholders, and to support the enforcement of environmental laws. The Consortium aims to expand the realm of relevant knowledge and utilize non-proprietary science and technology for global good.