The E-Waste Database

🌱 How can companies protect Indigenous rights throughout agricultural supply chains? There are several steps companies can take to address the impacts agricultural practices have on Indigenous rights. On a practical level, companies could support sustainable practices by, for example, investing in sustainable harvesting techniques that benefit Indigenous communities while conserving biodiversity. In line with this, the EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) also highlights that Indigenous Peoples may need “additional support for the transition towards sustainable supply chains”.[i] 🌱 What legal and compliance measures can help? Setting up solid due diligence practices, as well as honoring stakeholder engagement and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), are key examples of steps companies can take within supply chains. It is also possible to use codes of conduct, contractual obligations, and other third-party policies to create positive change. 🌱 What costs are associated with protecting Indigenous rights? It is notably possible for companies to protect human and Indigenous rights throughout their agricultural operations and supply chains without creating huge additional costs. In this context, it is worth noting that the costs of complying with the EUDR are very limited for companies. Notably, a new study by Profundo found that EUDR compliance costs “on average 0.10% as percentage of annual revenues for large companies and SMEs”. In practice, this means that “[i]f companies were to pass on these costs in their supply chains, the potential impact on consumer prices would be even smaller, between 0.001% and 0.07%”.[ii] 🌱 How can the general public be better informed? Overall, there is a need for the general public to better recognize the contributions of Indigenous communities within agriculture and the protection of biodiversity. This is something companies could — for example — highlight in their marketing and storytelling, so long as they always ensure that the Indigenous communities are represented authentically and respectfully. In line with this, the EUDR, for example, aims to “acknowledg[e] and strength[en] the role and rights of indigenous peoples”.[iii] 🌱 How can companies help to build a sustainable and inclusive future? To truly build a more sustainable and inclusive future, companies should take steps to empower Indigenous communities. One way of doing this is by including Indigenous representatives in their internal decision-making processes or giving them roles in industry organizations. This is also in line with the objectives of the EUDR, which sets out that “[p]artnerships and cooperation shall allow full participation of all stakeholders, including […] indigenous people”.[iv] The EUDR also says that “[p]artnerships and cooperation shall promote the development of integrated land use planning process” to “strengthen the rights of forest- dependent communities, including smallholders, local communities, and indigenous peoples”.[v] This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Aniol Gironès López and Christine Nikander. The newsletter titled “How can businesses safeguard Indigenous and community rights in agricultural supply chains?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk. [i] Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R1115. [ii] Gerard Rijk and Barbara Kuepper, Analysis of EUDR compliance costs. https://profundo.nl/projects/analysis-of-eudr-compliance-costs-/ (30.05.2025). [iii] Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R1115. [iv] Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R1115. [v] Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation and repealing Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32023R1115.

🌱 What does the EUDR aim to do? The EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) plays a role in protecting the land rights of Indigenous Peoples. It aims to ensure that commodities that can be linked to deforestation in earlier stages of their supply chain do not enter the EU market. By doing this, Indigenous territories are indirectly safeguarded from harmful land use practices.[i] 🌱 How are Indigenous lands protected through the law? Most countries have laws that determine whether Indigenous lands are protected or not. For example, in Brazil, the law foresees that Indigenous lands should be protected when they have been officially recognized and demarcated by the government, ensuring legal recognition of territorial rights.[ii] More specifically, the marco temporal bill in Brazil is “a piece of legislation passed by the agribusiness caucus in parliament”. It “set a cutoff date for establishing Indigenous territories: under the legislation, only claimant communities who can prove they occupied their territories in 1988, when Brazil’s Constitution was approved, can go through the demarcation process.” It was “ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2023”. Yet, nonetheless “the legislation was approved by parliament” shortly afterwards.[iii] 🌱 What Indigenous territories have been recognized recently? The Brazilian government recently approved 13 new Indigenous territories. The Xukuru-Kariri Indigenous Territory, home to the Xukuru-Kariri people, in Alagoas state, in Brazil’s northeast has not yet been approved.[iv] The approval of these new Indigenous territories was made possible by the marco temporal bill; however, it has faced criticism for the lengthy process the government took to recognize these territories. In addition, the marco temporal bill has generated significant controversy, as it limits the recognition of Indigenous land rights to territories that can prove continuous occupation since the 1988 Constitution, excluding many communities that have been displaced before that time.[v] This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Aniol Gironès López and Christine Nikander. The newsletter titled “How can businesses safeguard Indigenous and community rights in agricultural supply chains?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk. [i] European Commission, Implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation: Find out how to comply with EUDR. https://green-business.ec.europa.eu/deforestation-regulation-implementation_en (30.06.2025). [ii] International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Indigenous peoples in Brazil. https://iwgia.org/en/brazil.html (30.06.2025). [iii] Fernanda Wenzel, Brazil’s Lula approves 13 Indigenous lands after much delay, promises more to come. https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/brazils-lula-approves-13-indigenous-lands-after-much-delay-promises-more-to-come/ (30.06.2025). [iv] Fernanda Wenzel, Brazil’s Lula approves 13 Indigenous lands after much delay, promises more to come. https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/brazils-lula-approves-13-indigenous-lands-after-much-delay-promises-more-to-come/ (30.06.2025). [v] Ana Carolina Alfinito and Ester Oliveira, Indigenous Rights Battle Resumes in Brazilian Supreme Court. https://amazonwatch.org/news/2024/0118-indigenous-rights-battle-resumes-in-brazilian-supreme-court (30.06.2025).

🌱 What is land-grabbing? The “land-grabbing” of Indigenous lands has occurred on a large scale across centuries.[i] Large areas of land in the Global South were seized by European authorities in the 15th and 20th centuries. Notably, “many of these “land grabs” were never reversed” during the decolonization process. In practice, this means that “much of the formerly communal land passed straight into the hands of newly created countries, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia”.[ii] 🌱 Has the recognition of traditional ownership changed? Over the past few years, the global recognition of traditional ownership has grown. In line with this, from 2015 to 2020, “103m hectares of communal lands in 73 countries were given legal status, according to analysis by the Rights and Resources Initiative, a global coalition of groups that advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities”.[iii] 🌱 Does land-grabbing still occur? Despite the growing recognition of Indigenous land rights, land-grabbing continues to be a problem today. In Peru, for example, 3 million hectares of forest “changed hands” in 2003. Much of this land was used for palm oil and cacao plantations.[iv] Similarly, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO) project in the Philippines has stripped people “from the land, livelihoods and ancestral ties that they have cultivated for generations, […] threatening massive environmental damage”.[v] This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Aniol Gironès López and Christine Nikander. The newsletter titled “How can businesses safeguard Indigenous and community rights in agricultural supply chains?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk. [i] Christina M. Kennedy et al., Indigenous Peoples’ lands are threatened by industrial development; conversion risk assessment reveals need to support Indigenous stewardship. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332223003408 (30.06.2025). [ii] Josh Gabbatiss, Loggers have ‘grabbed’ around 1m hectares of Indigenous land in DRC. https://www.carbonbrief.org/loggers-have-grabbed-around-1m-hectares-of-indigenous-land-in-drc/ (30.06.2025). [iii] Josh Gabbatiss, Loggers have ‘grabbed’ around 1m hectares of Indigenous land in DRC. https://www.carbonbrief.org/loggers-have-grabbed-around-1m-hectares-of-indigenous-land-in-drc/ (30.06.2025). [iv] Transparency International, Defending land and lives: Indigenous peoples fighting back against discriminatory corruption. https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/indigenous-world-day-corruption-discrimination-peru-guatemala (30.06.2025). [v] Transparency International, Defending land and lives: Indigenous peoples fighting back against discriminatory corruption. https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/indigenous-world-day-corruption-discrimination-peru-guatemala (30.06.2025).