Most big companies are failing to report the damage their operations are doing to forests despite committing to lighten their footprint under wider efforts to tackle climate change, according to a new report, The Money Trees: The role of corporate action in the fight against deforestation. The report from environmental non-profit CDP states that 70% of 1,500 large companies failed to provide data on their impact on forests in response to its queries last year. Of the 306 companies that did report data, 24% showed no or limited action to reduce deforestation, despite brand damage from being associated with the loss of forests the most frequently cited risk, CDP said. Underscoring the slow progress, trader Cargill said last month that it and the broader food industry would fail to meet a 2020 goal to end deforestation, while pledging to do more to protect forests and native vegetation in Brazil.

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