Boston, September 1, 2026 – Sysco Corporation, the largest broadline food distribution company in the world, will expand its corporate reporting on its efforts to stop deforestation. The move came in response to a shareholder proposal filed by Green Century Capital Management (Green Century). In exchange for this commitment, Green Century withdrew the proposal.
“Sysco is taking an important step by enhancing disclosure on how it’s working to protect forests,” said Leslie Samuelrich, president of Green Century. “Investors want assurance that the company is tracking where its food is coming from and taking steps to mitigate related risks and impacts.”
Sysco’s 2026 reporting will include no-deforestation efforts
As a broadline company, Sysco provides customers with everything from produce, meats and beverages to restaurant supplies. To reduce deforestation risk in its supply chain, Sysco will focus on its “own brand” products and on ingredients often linked to the destruction of forests that it deems most material. Sysco will include related disclosures in its next sustainability report, due in early 2027.
Recent statistics suggest that beef, soy, palm oil and timber products drive nearly 75% of global deforestation. These, along with coffee and cocoa, are often termed “forest-risk commodities” because they can either be grown by destroying forests to make way for plantations or, as is widely regarded as best practice, by planting crops on already degraded or otherwise non-forested land.
Sending market signals to protect forests
Big commodity buyers such as Sysco send a meaningful signal to the market when they make it harder for deforestation-linked products to enter their supply chains. By only sourcing from low-risk areas, setting and enforcing supplier no-deforestation requirements, and using certification schemes such as FSC for timber and RSPO for palm oil, companies can significantly reduce their exposure to deforestation.
“Whether or not our food leads to deforestation depends on if and how companies such as Sysco set and enforce sustainable sourcing policies,” said Annie Sanders, director of shareholder advocacy at Green Century. “As the largest food distributor in the country, Sysco has great power – and with that, great responsibility – to steward the ecosystems its business relies on for the long-term.”
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