From a scientific project to a leading service provider for sustainable supply chains
Global Risk Assessment Services (GRAS) has grown from a science-driven project focused on developing the GRAS prototype – an innovative tool for establishing and monitoring sustainable, deforestation-free supply chains – into an independent service provider.
Today, GRAS offers specialized services with deep expertise in Remote Sensing, Geoinformation Systems (GIS), and Due Diligence, supporting businesses navigate environmental and social sustainability challenges.
The GRAS Story
2012
The development of GRAS began in 2012, inspired by the Rio+20 Conference, which marked a pivotal moment in advancing global sustainability efforts.
2014
GRAS was born from the visionary project, “Development of the GRAS Prototype to Support an Environmentally Friendly Use of Resources for a Sustainable Bioeconomy.” This pioneering initiative was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture through the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) and was designed to foster environmentally responsible resource use for a sustainable bioeconomy.
The core objective of this project was to develop the GRAS prototype, an innovative tool to establish and monitor sustainable, deforestation-free supply chains. Using high-resolution remote sensing data and cutting-edge satellite technology, the prototype enabled the precise documentation of land-use changes across critical biomass-producing regions globally.
2015
GRAS formally registered as a company.
2016
The follow-up project supported by the Federal Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR), marked a significant step forward in advancing GRAS’s mission. The project was presented at the UN COP 22, held in Marrakech in 2016 at the request of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
Successfully completed in 2020, GRAS II delivered valuable insights and innovations, reinforcing GRAS’s commitment to providing reliable solutions for sustainable resource management.
2017
GRAS Tool Launched
The GRAS Tool is an interactive platform that provides relevant sustainability information such as biodiversity, land use change, carbon stock, and social indices available. Users can conduct customized and transparent sustainability risk assessments, helping companies comply with new standards, certification systems and upcoming regulations.
2018
FARAMO: Farmer Risk Assessment and Monitoring System
GRAS developed FARAMO, a cutting-edge platform designed to integrate independent smallholders and farmers into sustainable and certified supply chains. Including a comprehensive data management system with innovative and user-friendly tools for smallholders, FARAMO facilitates data collection, mapping, tracking and monitoring of smallholders and enables to trace back raw material to smallholder field level.
Key features: user-friendly application for offline data collection and field mapping, secure databases, customizable dashboards, automated environmental risk assessments, and delivery tracking to ensure full traceability and compliance with sustainability standards.
2020
Project partnership for ILUC analysis under the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII)
Global Risk Assessment Services GmbH (GRAS) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) have joined forces to support the European Commission in the implementation of the indirect land use change (ILUC) provisions set out in the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII). The aim of the collaboration was to produce a comprehensive report that will provide important findings and insights for effective implementation and policymaking. The project was carried out in two phases: Phase 1 (2020–2021) and Phase 2 (2022–2023).
2022
ARIA: Automated Sustainability Risk Assessment for the Palm Oil Sector
GRAS has developed ARIA (Automatic Risk Assessment), an innovative platform designed for the palm oil sector in Malaysia and Indonesia. ARIA helps certification holders meet REDII requirements by generating automated sustainability reports in minutes, using advanced remote sensing techniques and GRAS’s expertise in sustainability risk assessments.
Key features: automated risk analysis, intuitive report generation, secure online management of reports, and detailed field-level assessments using high-resolution satellite imagery.
Strengthening Global Coffee Supply Chains with LkSG Compliance
At GRAS, in partnership with Meo Carbon Solutions, we are proud to support and enable the coffee industry to meet the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) requirements with a comprehensive, country- and sector-specific abstract risk analysis. This analysis, covering 18 coffee-producing countries, identifies and addresses human rights and environmental risks in coffee supply chains.
2023
GRAS TOOL+: A Powerful Platform for Enhanced Sustainability Assessments
The GRAS Tool was relaunched as GRAS Tool+, featuring an improved user experience and a wide range of advanced functionalities. Used by over 1200+ users, the GRAS Tool+ offers users a comprehensive and intuitive platform to meet your sustainability assessment needs.
Key Features: Interactive sustainability maps, data on social risks and vital food security indices, fire monitoring and alerts, and GRAS risk assessment reports.
Implementation of a Grievance Mechanism in the Coffee Industry
As part of the due diligence obligations under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, companies must establish an effective grievance mechanism. In January 2023, nine companies from the coffee industry, in partnership with the German Coffee Association, introduced the Ear4U grievance mechanism. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with GRAS and Meo Carbon Solutions.
2024
Technology platform EUDRx for EUDR compliance
EUDRx is an interactive and consignment-specific analysis and documentation platform specifically designed for operators and traders dealing with the EUDR. With EUDRx, businesses can confidently navigate the complexities of compliance and implement the due diligence process smoothly and straightforward.
Key features: automated deforestation analysis, advanced risk assessments, and streamlined due diligence documentation.
Technology platform EUDRx for EUDR compliance
EUDRx is an interactive and consignment-specific analysis and documentation platform specifically designed for operators and traders dealing with the EUDR. With EUDRx, businesses can confidently navigate the complexities of compliance and implement the due diligence process smoothly and straightforward.
Key features: automated deforestation analysis, automated assessment of human rights and governance risks, geolocation data integration, and streamlined due diligence documentation.
GRAS presented the EUDR Coffee Check to officials of the German Ministry
In collaboration with the German Coffee Association (Deutscher Kaffeeverband e.V.), GRAS organized the ‘Parliamentary Breakfast’ on June 11th, 2024. The breakfast event, “Strong Together for Sustainable Coffee,” brought together key stakeholders for an engaging discussion.
Introducing the Forest Resilience Index: A New Era in Sustainable Forest Management
The permanent forest, with its diverse natural structures and functions, are essential to ecological resistance and resilience of forests in the long term. Our project partnering with ANW, University of Göttingen and UFZ focusses on the Forest Resilience Index – an innovative framework designed to determine, measure, and monitor the resilience of the forest over time. This index helps evaluate both the forests’ resistance to stress and their regenerative capacity.
GRAS and TH Köln Pioneer AI Solutions for Deforestation-Free Coffee Compliance
GRAS, in collaboration with TH Köln have joined forces to launch the innovative “AI4SusCo” project which is also supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The project aims to develop algorithms using ML and AI to improve the classification of forest and coffee plantations and thereby support the compliance of companies with the European Union’s new sustainability regulations.
GRAS partnered with SYMOBIO 2.0: Consolidation of Systemic Monitoring and Modelling of the Bioeconomy
SYMOBIO 2.0, supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), provides guidance on the progress of the German bioeconomy, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Building on contributions to SYMOBIO 1.0, GRAS developed a semi-automated system to assess crop-driven deforestation, focusing on palm oil in regions like Indonesia, Malaysia, and soy and sugarcane in Brazil for 2008–2021 period.
Today
GRAS has evolved into a fully independent service provider of specialized services, offering extensive expertise in remote sensing, Geoinformation Systems (GIS), and Due Diligence to guide businesses on environmental and social sustainability.
With a commitment to embrace science-based methodologies, we address a diverse range of sustainability challenges, including environmental and social issues such as political and labor-related risks. Leveraging advanced satellite technology and machine learning, our solutions are both globally applicable and adaptable across various crops and sectors. For over a decade, GRAS has built a reputation as a trusted partner to clients both in the private and public sector, providing them with unparalleled support in navigating sustainability challenges.
Stakeholders & Partners
GRAS services benefit from the advantages of remote sensing technologies
GRAS provides innovative services that utilise the latest remote sensing technologies to deliver comprehensive sustainability risk assessments from a single source. By applying advanced remote sensing methods and GIS analyses of land use, land cover and land history, GRAS provides accurate, efficient and highly reliable insights into various sustainability topics.
Valuable records of the earths’ surface
Satellite images represent valuable and continuous records of the earths’ surface. With the development of remote sensing techniques, the lessons we learn from earth observation has reached new levels.
The continuous improvement of available data, e.g. in its temporal, spatial and spectral resolution, helps to make land use analyses more efficient, secure and trustworthy. The challenge is to select, process and interpret the huge amounts of available data for the relevant requirements and solutions.
Vision
To be a leading provider of innovative and reliable remote sensing solutions, leveraging cutting-edge spatial technology and satellite earth observation, to support businesses, organizations, and governments in making informed and sustainable decisions.
Our vision is to empower our clients with comprehensive, transparent, and objective decision support, helping them identify and verify sustainability risks within their supply chains, promote environmental conservation, and foster social responsibility. Through our commitment to continuous improvement and customized solutions, we aim to contribute significantly to the advancement of sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and environmentally responsible practices worldwide.
Mission
Our mission is to support businesses in making sustainable choices and responsible decisions by providing trustworthy information to assess risks in their supply chain, all while following government regulations.
We work towards identifying and analysing sustainability risks in supply chains, promoting traceable and sustainable agriculture, and conducting assessments of social and environmental risks. Our dedication is about empowering businesses, certification bodies, and other stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to improve biodiversity conservation, monitor land use, and uphold social rights.
Most relevant sustainability issues at a glance
Whether you want to identify areas of high biodiversity or carbon stock, detect a land use change and stop deforestation or just need to get an overview about social indices – the GRAS approach combines latest comprehensive information on the most relevant sustainability topics.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from marine, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Because of its significance for ecosystem functions and its intrinsic value biodiversity needs to be protected.
Carbon Stock
The second largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere after fossil fuel combustion is land use and land use change. It is essential to constrain the impacts of climate change within the reasonably tolerable limits by reducing emissions from land use and land use change.
Land Use Change
The leading cause of deforestation is agriculture taking place mainly in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. Reducing land use change is crucial to reduce the effects of climate change and to protect biodiversity.
Social Indices
Working and living conditions are important social criteria that play a crucial role for the assessment of sustainability risks. Examples for social indices are poverty, infant mortality, forced labor, child labor or corruption.
