The Gran Chaco Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 2025

Traceability for export sectors can boost responsible supply chains Traceability and the adoption of best practices within export-orientated sectors present opportunities to promote responsible supply chains, access new markets and enhance value- added production. Driven by trends and pressures from major buyers and international regulations, such as the EUDR, initiatives like VISEC Soy and VISEC Beef in Argentina have established national monitoring, reporting and verification systems. These systems enable product traceability while ensuring compliance with critical environmental and social criteria, such as avoiding deforestation and respecting human rights. Paraguay has shown interest in developing a similar system, building on Argentina’s experience to facilitate seamless information exchange for Paraguayan soybean exports to Argentina. Such systems align with international sustainability standards, fostering a more transparent, responsible and ethical supply chain, while strengthening market competitiveness. Strengthening traceability systems adds a critical layer of control to complement existing state regulations and helps mitigate risks such as fraud and commodity laundering. Among traceability systems, VISEC is the best example in the region.101 Best in class – VISEC Argentina BOX 19 VISEC is a platform for environmental and social sustainability that helps economic actors in Argentina’s soybean and beef value chains to meet new international and national demands, while maintaining global market competitiveness. Established in 2019 for soy, VISEC is supported by the Chamber of the Oilseed Industry of the Argentine Republic (CIARA/CEC), The Nature Conservancy, Tropical Forest Alliance and Peterson Consultancy, which form its permanent technical secretariat. Between 2019 and 2023, stakeholders from across Argentina’s soy production and industry joined the platform. In August 2023, the Consortium of Argentine Beef Exporters expanded VISEC’s scope to include beef and by-products for EU export.The VISEC Protocol ensures traded commodities are deforestation-free. It tracks the origin of soy and beef from production units (e.g. soy farms, cattle birth farms), ensuring compliance with EU regulations and Argentina’s Law 26.331/07, with a cut-off date of 31 December 2020. The system focuses on: –Monitoring land use from production units to export ports. –Transparent reporting on progress toward commitments. –Independent verification of compliance with sustainability indicators. NGOs play a critical role in governance, ensuring transparency and credibility throughout the process. Source: VISEC. Although traceability systems have been established in Argentina’s Gran Chaco beef value chain, significant gaps remain, particularly in domestic markets where traceability has yet to become a regulatory priority. The challenge extends beyond small retail outlets to local and municipal slaughterhouses, which often lack the necessary capacity, infrastructure and regulatory oversight to implement comprehensive traceability measures. National roundtables for sustainable beef, under the framework of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), have the potential to serve as powerful platforms for uniting diverse stakeholders to address sustainability challenges in biomes such as the Gran Chaco. These roundtables provide a structured space for collaboration, bringing together private sector initiatives, NGOs, governments and research institutions to develop innovative and actionable solutions to key challenges in the beef industry. Private sector actors hold significant influence over production practices, supply chains and consumer behaviour. By engaging these stakeholders within national roundtables, their expertise, resources and market influence can be leveraged to promote sustainable practices, enhance traceability and unlock financing for sustainability. Dialogue among diverse stakeholders is essential for addressing the complex challenges facing the beef industry in ecologically sensitive areas such as the Gran Chaco. Transforming dialogues into collaborative action can leverage the private sector’s role as both a challenge and a solution for sustainable development in this critical biome. The Gran Chaco: Pathways Towards a Sustainable Future 42