Accountability Framework initiative

Issuer / operator

AFi coalition (CDP, WRI, WWF, Proforest, TNC et al.)

Geography

Global

Sectors

Agriculture, forestry, land-use commodities

Scope unit

Company

Current edition

AFi Core Principles (2019) + Operational Guidance (rolling)

Edition status

Published

Next edition review

Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact

Access to standard text

Free

Recognised / referenced by

Reference framework for CDP forests, SBTi FLAG and EUDR-aligned due diligence practice

Alignment mechanism

Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact

Instrument level

Supply chain

Public versioned standard

Yes

Verification route

None

Coverage vs target

Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact

The Accountability Framework initiative is a coalition — including CDP, WRI, WWF, Proforest and The Nature Conservancy — providing common definitions and 12 Core Principles for no-deforestation, no-conversion and human-rights commitments in agricultural and forestry supply chains. It covers the points companies otherwise define inconsistently: scope setting, cut-off dates, monitoring, traceability, remediation and reporting, with rolling Operational Guidance for application. AFi's role is harmonisation, not verification: it gives companies, standard-setters and investors a shared reference for what a deforestation-free commitment should contain, and its definitions are widely embedded in buyer policies and other standards. The Framework is maintained by a secretariat and coalition of environmental and human-rights organisations, and its guidance is free to use. Companies ranging from traders to consumer brands reference AFi definitions in their commodity policies, and standard-setters align their own cut-off dates and traceability requirements with it — so its influence is mostly indirect, through the standards and policies that adopt its language. Alignment with these principles is a stated position, not a certification; it does not by itself demonstrate compliance or outcomes.