Satellite imagery has been used to detect deforestation in palm oil growing areas for many years, but the cost of obtaining images is high and often takes months to reach the end user.
Consumer goods companies and commodity traders are adopting new systems, including Nestle, Unilever, Cargill and Fengyi International.
What is new?
Speed-The new system aims to make the process almost "real-time", although in practice it usually means at least five days. Companies say they can make quick decisions based on data - sometimes reducing relationships with suppliers.
They involve more detailed concessions and forest base maps, with the help of environmental groups, so companies can target areas where valuable forests are shrinking rather than sending validators at will.
Previously, problems with government data and the reluctance of palm oil companies to specify plantation boundaries made it difficult to determine when they invaded protected forests.
How does the system work?
Global Forest Watch Pro uses satellite imagery and mapping to monitor forests and alert users when they receive changes. It is piloted by many traders, brands and growers (including Fengyi International, Cargill and Unilever) and will be launched for wider use this summer.
The founder of Nestle, which uses the Starling system and is driven by Ferrero, said that as long as it detects changes in forest cover larger than football fields and connects them to nearby sites, it sends alerts "in near real time" through its portal site - usually five to seven days of factories.
The platform combines satellite images captured every 20 minutes by Airbus, NASA and ESA, together with maps showing the legal boundaries of plantations, the location of suppliers and the value of nearby forest conservation.
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