McDonald’s Corporation is the latest business to join the Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF) providing funding to support the resilient transformation of Brazil’s soy-producing Cerrado region, as related to embedded soy volumes in feed for chicken procured by the company outside of the United States and Canada.
Soy is considered a priority commodity under McDonald’s Commitment on Forests and Natural Ecosystems and the company completed a global mapping project in 2024 with its chicken suppliers to better understand the origins and possible ecosystem risks of soy used in chicken feed. Since 2015, the inception of McDonald’s Commitment, McDonald’s has continued to strengthen its efforts to further ecosystem and business resilience in relevant sourcing sheds, including by investing in landscape-level solutions and initiatives.
“Chicken is one of the most important items across our menu globally, which means we must be vigilant of how we’re sourcing chicken and its embedded soy for feed,” said Beth Hart, Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer at McDonald’s. “Investments in landscape-level solutions and initiatives and cross-sector collaboration are key in unlocking greater landscape resilience and business resilience, helping to ensure we can serve millions of customers around the world the quality menu items they love for years to come. We’re excited to expand our investment in landscape-level solutions and support farmers through RCF.”
The Responsible Commodities Facility, created by BVRio and run by Sustainable Investment Management (SIM), offers low-interest credit lines for soy farms who contractually commit to deforestation and conversion-free production. This delivers a protection mechanism, financed by public and private sectors, for forests and native vegetation to be maintained on soy farms, contributing positively to climate, water and biodiversity goals.
In the 2025-2026 crop cycle the RCF programme provided finance to 280 farms, which are expected to produce more than 240,000 tonnes of deforestation and conversion-free soy. This resulted in the conservation of around 90,000 hectares of native vegetation – around 29,000 hectares more than required by Brazilian law – while protecting carbon stocks equal to over 22 million metric tons of CO2.
Investors in the RCF for the 2025-26 soy growing season include UK supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, alongside Rabobank, AGRI3 Fund, IDB Invest and the Mobilising Finance for Forests (MFF) program. MFF is managed by FMO, the Dutch development bank, and is funded by the UK Government and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
New companies will join the RCF for the 2026-2027 season, bringing the fund to an estimated U$ 100 million, leading to a significant increase in its environmental impacts.
Soy is considered a priority commodity under McDonald’s Commitment on Forests and Natural Ecosystems and the company completed a global mapping project in 2024 with its chicken suppliers to better understand the origins and possible ecosystem risks of soy used in chicken feed. Since 2015, the inception of McDonald’s Commitment, McDonald’s has continued to strengthen its efforts to further ecosystem and business resilience in relevant sourcing sheds, including by investing in landscape-level solutions and initiatives.
“Chicken is one of the most important items across our menu globally, which means we must be vigilant of how we’re sourcing chicken and its embedded soy for feed,” said Beth Hart, Chief Sustainability & Social Impact Officer at McDonald’s. “Investments in landscape-level solutions and initiatives and cross-sector collaboration are key in unlocking greater landscape resilience and business resilience, helping to ensure we can serve millions of customers around the world the quality menu items they love for years to come. We’re excited to expand our investment in landscape-level solutions and support farmers through RCF.”
The Responsible Commodities Facility, created by BVRio and run by Sustainable Investment Management (SIM), offers low-interest credit lines for soy farms who contractually commit to deforestation and conversion-free production. This delivers a protection mechanism, financed by public and private sectors, for forests and native vegetation to be maintained on soy farms, contributing positively to climate, water and biodiversity goals.
In the 2025-2026 crop cycle the RCF programme provided finance to 280 farms, which are expected to produce more than 240,000 tonnes of deforestation and conversion-free soy. This resulted in the conservation of around 90,000 hectares of native vegetation – around 29,000 hectares more than required by Brazilian law – while protecting carbon stocks equal to over 22 million metric tons of CO2.
Investors in the RCF for the 2025-26 soy growing season include UK supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, alongside Rabobank, AGRI3 Fund, IDB Invest and the Mobilising Finance for Forests (MFF) program. MFF is managed by FMO, the Dutch development bank, and is funded by the UK Government and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
New companies will join the RCF for the 2026-2027 season, bringing the fund to an estimated U$ 100 million, leading to a significant increase in its environmental impacts.
ENDS
About Sustainable Investment Management Ltd (SIM) Founded in 2017, SIM is an environmental finance advisory firm based in London and Rio de Janeiro, with the objective to promote the financing of activities that result in positive environmental impacts. SIM coordinates the blending and integration of sources of finance, services and activities related to its investments using a combination of sophisticated financial mechanisms, advanced technology tools (including remote sensing and block chain technology), and an experienced team of experts in environmental finance, commercial law, and environmental sciences.
SIM has a strategic partnership with Brazilian NGO BVRio, which acts as its operational arm on the ground.
About McDonald’s - McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 45,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners.
SIM has a strategic partnership with Brazilian NGO BVRio, which acts as its operational arm on the ground.
About McDonald’s - McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 45,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners.
