TL;DR

• Beef is driving deforestation in Australia - and thanks to our shareholder pressure, Woolworths now has stronger plans to tackle this big problem.
• Following our engagement and shareholder resolution with the Wilderness Society to Woolworths’ Annual General Meeting (AGM) in October 2025, the company acted quickly to release an updated no-deforestation policy in December.
• Then last week, Woolworths released their 2030 Sustainability Plan which enhanced their public commitments to no-deforestation.  
• Last week, a Woolworths executive told SIX's CEO Adam Verwey that it was shareholder pressure that pushed the company to act quickly.
• This has been a great validation of shareholder activism working alongside the campaign power of our NGO partners.

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In August last year, Woolworths weakened their 2024 commitment to only source deforestation-free products. They’d promised deforestation-free sourcing by the end of 2025, yet failed to provide a plan on how they would check their supply chains for deforestation.

Also concerning was that, unlike Australia’s other big supermarket Coles, Woolworths was considering beef as “low-risk”. Given Australia holds the unfortunate title of being a global deforestation hotspot, mainly driven by land clearing for beef pasture, this view was pretty alarming! 

So SIX and our partners at the Wilderness Society lodged resolutions, supported by 100+ shareholders, that kick-started important conversations with big investors. 

Our resolution urging Woolworths to consider beef as “high-risk” for deforestation received a 13% vote in favour. This was a great result for a first-time resolution on an issue that major investors only had a little time to engage with prior to the AGM.

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SIX and the Wilderness Society have continued to engage with senior members of the Woolworths team. These resolutions and engagement have clearly pushed the company to act quickly.

In December, two months after the AGM, the company released an updated no-deforestation policy.

Then last Tuesday (17 March 2026), the company published their 2030 Sustainability Plan - setting out the company’s ambition for the next five years on environmental and social issues, including many that SIX and our NGO & ethical adviser partners have been campaigning on.

In SIX’s meetings with the company since the AGM they’ve told us clearly that our shareholder pressure pushed the board and executives to take this issue seriously and move quickly.  

Our team was delighted to see in this plan that beef, and its contribution to the deforestation which threatens Australia’s forest, bush and the wildlife that call these places home, is finally being taken seriously. 

Woolworths has identified several actions that they will take to transition to deforestation-free sourcing:

• Woolworths is once again treating Australian fresh beef as a priority alongside other deforestation-linked commodities - when previously (in their January 2025 no-deforestation policy and August 2025 Sustainability Report) they weren’t giving beef as much consideration as other commodities. 
• They intend to prioritise deforestation-free products through their engagement with suppliers. 
• Where independent certifications are not available - that’s the case for beef - the company is committing to undertake their own due diligence.
• And they emphasise an intention to collaborate with other stakeholders to eliminate deforestation in their supply chain. 

Adèle Chasson, Corporate Campaigner at the Wilderness Society said:

“It’s encouraging to see Woolworths reaffirm their promise of deforestation-free supply chains and start to outline a plan. Now we need to see concrete and robust action that keeps forests and bushlands standing. From the beef in its stores to the timber pallets it uses to transport groceries, it’s time for Woolworths to clean up its supply chains. Aussies want to be able to shop deforestation-free in 2026.”

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A plan doesn’t solve the problem of deforestation - the company still needs to work through implementation of the plan, and do more to get deforestation out of their timber supply. Woolworth also needs to act on other nature issues, like getting getting out of Macquarie Harbour salmon to help save the endangered Maugean skate.

But what it does is send a huge signal that Woolworths has heard our shareholder message loud and clear that deforestation in their supply chain must be taken seriously - and centred it in their company priorities for the years ahead.

Plus, this plan gives a concrete public commitment about their intentions, to which our NGO partners can continue to hold the company to account. The Wilderness Society will remain engaged with Woolworths as the company works through the implementation of their policy.

We’re deeply grateful and proud of SIX’s supporting shareholders and broader community. Wins for nature can feel few and far between, so it’s important to pause and enjoy moments like this. And then use this feeling to energise us for the campaigning we do next!