Eyes from space: making Amazonian supply chains deforestation-free

Eyes from space: How satellites can make Amazonian supply chains deforestation-free

One of the greatest challenges in eliminating deforestation from commodity supply chains is knowing exactly where — and under what conditions — agricultural products are produced. Traditional approaches to supply chain monitoring rely on company self-reporting or spot audits, both of which are resource-intensive and prone to gaps. This paper, published in One Earth, explores how remote sensing technology can fill this accountability gap in the Amazon — one of the world's most deforestation-prone regions.

By combining high-resolution satellite imagery with farm-level cadastral data and supply chain records, the study demonstrates that it is possible to link individual farms to documented deforestation events and trace those farms to specific buyers and exporters. The methodology enables near-real-time monitoring of land-use change at a spatial resolution relevant for due diligence — essentially giving regulators and companies a way to audit their supply chains from space.

This approach is particularly timely given the introduction of the EU Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR), which requires companies to demonstrate that their products are not linked to recent forest loss. The paper shows that remote sensing can not only identify deforestation but also quantify the risk exposure of specific supply chains — providing an operational basis for compliance monitoring. Applied to soy and beef supply chains in the Brazilian Amazon, the results reveal significant pockets of deforestation risk that existing certification schemes fail to capture.

Satellite technology has matured to the point where supply chain opacity is a choice, not a limitation. Integrating remote sensing into deforestation due diligence frameworks can transform accountability from a paperwork exercise into a rigorous, evidence-based process — benefitting both forests and companies serious about their sustainability commitments.