Highlights
Results
803,767
farmers with improved yields
1,483,166
hectares under sustainable management
193,843
workers under improved working conditions
478,384
farmers with access to improved services
195
corporates testing solutions with Solidaridad
294
processors who have reduced pollution
Results across 4 areas
From Farm To Factories, Building Resilient Livelihoods
Despite global uncertainties, our results in 2025 demonstrate that we remain effective. We scaled up regenerative agriculture (with regenagri) in key commodities, developed EUDR/CSDDD-ready traceability and market solutions, combined factory decarbonization with decent work roadmaps in fashion clusters and added real-time learning and risk controls to delivery systems.
In 2025, a viable regenerative agriculture production system worked towards ensuring economic resilience, environmental gains and inclusion for smallholder farmers in Asia, with a sectoral transformation heralded in cotton through regenagri. In the industrial pathway, Asia adopted a dual strategy of decarbonising the textile and leather industry and promoting decent working conditions for workers. We supported 10 textile companies in Bangladesh in adopting SBTi (Science-Based Targets Initiative) frameworks to set emission-reduction targets by 2030.
- 803,767 farmers reported improved yield (kg/ha), demonstrating that regenerative farming has led to improved economic outcomes for smallholder farmers.
- 1,483,166 hectares of land in Asia are now under sustainable management.
- As a result of the programme interventions, 193,843 workers reported experiencing improved working conditions.
- 978,310,000 litres of water use avoided
- 294 processors were able to reduce pollution through the adoption of environment-friendly practices and technologies, which reduced the discharge of effluents and promoted the recycling of waste.
In Asia, Solidaridad adopted democratic economic principles for local economy development, and promoted local and circular supply chains governed and owned by farmers through collectives, producer organizations and farmer-owned/led brands. Local enterprise development focused on input supply services, product aggregation and value addition. The goal is to create an environment where smallholders can increase productivity, improve income and participate more competitively in sustainable agricultural markets.
In Indonesia, for instance, the promotion of women’s cooperatives in palm oil is driving the inclusion of women in the supply chain, resulting in stable, predictable upstream supply chains, transparent payment systems and increased membership in the cooperatives.
- 478,384 farmers reported access to new or improved services from service providers supported by Solidaridad.
- 38,750 farmers became co-owners in the supply chain, improving their income through diversified livelihood options.
- 336 entrepreneurs were supported to build a financially viable business model.
- 26,860 jobs were directly generated by Solidaridad’s training interventions.
Solidaridad Asia’s efforts on effective implementation of the policies, changes or drafting of new policies, are primarily led by the grassroots initiatives. Here, lived realities are transformed into actionable insights, representations, research and white papers, culminating in the policy adoption for sectoral transformation.
In our palm programmes in Indonesia and Malaysia, we advocated for global recognition for national sustainability standards and smallholder inclusivity. In Indonesia, this led to simplification in the STDB registration, a key land registration mechanism that legalizes oil palm plantations and serves as a mandatory requirement for Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification. Our recommendations included moving from multi-departmental clearances for STDB to a single-window clearance system, and supporting its implementation through financing, planning and smallholder engagement to ensure broader adoption and scalability.
In Malaysia, Solidaridad was invited by the Malaysian government to join the MSPO Impact Alliance when the European Union recognized Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) as a credible standard in September 2025. With companies like SD Guthrie, FGV, Nestlé Malaysia, financial institutions and international organizations like IOM as members, the Alliance aims to enhance the value of MSPO certification by serving as a hub for innovation, with a focus on traceability and smallholder-inclusivity.
- 273 civil society groups improved their involvement in decision-making to improve policies for smallholder farmers.
- 141 corporates were supported in implementing sustainability solutions and policies within their organizations.
- 7 sustainability frameworks were developed or improved with Solidaridad’s support.
For market uptake and transformation, Solidaridad’s strategy in Asia focuses on responsible sourcing and market linkages on one hand, and consumer awareness and traceability on the other.
Aggregation of produce, consistency in supplies and improved quality of produce ensured brands like Vippy in India and Nourish in Bangladesh procure sustainably-grown soy. The partnership with PRAN and BRAC, two large dairy companies in Bangladesh, and Arla Foods, a dairy farmers cooperative of Denmark, is ensuring quality-based pricing systems and a 30% reduction in emissions in the dairy value chain. Supported by Arkema, which uses castor in its specialty materials, the Farmer Education Fund is a unique example of companies joining hands to invest in a common cause.
- 211,783 producers with new or improved market access
- 17,943,325 individuals activated to potentially purchase sustainable products
Stories that Matter
Sustainability Solutions
Building resilience
Solidaridad provides companies and farmers with innovative frameworks and tools developed to address both the climate crisis and social inequity within supply chains. Our efforts include empowering farmers with regenerative agriculture and carbon incentives while providing industries with structured roadmaps for decarbonization and gender inclusion.
Solidaridad Asia has taken a clear stance on emission targets for companies: ‘keep the house in order first’. It translates to investments in and emission reductions within the company’s own supply chain before venturing into offset options. Scope 3 emissions targets have been a bane for many companies, with no clear standard in place to facilitate reductions or provide a measurement methodology. Solidaridad, in partnership with Regenagri, introduced the world’s first insetting carbon standard in 2025.
Carbon-insetting units, which represent a reduction in carbon footprints, offer farmers/producers an additional financial reward for improvements made through regenerative farming, while also benefiting the planet. Businesses that purchase carbon insetting units from producers within their supply chain thereby reduce their Scope 3 emissions.
(Source: www.regenagri.org)
The benefits are multi-fold:
- Farmers receive additional financial gains for the impact they achieve through regenerative farming. These gains help them to improve their own livelihoods while continuing to invest in the health of their land.
- Companies invest in verified GHG emission reduction in their supply chains.
- Besides confirming carbon footprint reductions, Regenagri carbon-insetting units demonstrate the implementation of regenerative farming practices that improve soil health and biodiversity.
- Independent third-party certification assures the integrity of claims and compliance with regulations.
The combined framework of regenerative agriculture and carbon insetting offers a practical model that brings together a regenerative standard, verification tools, certified impact data, farm-level traceability, regulatory readiness and an in-supply-chain carbon mechanism that rewards farmers for reducing emissions. Three tea plantation companies in Sri Lanka have adopted the Regenagri carbon insetting standard in 2025 to address their Scope 3 (indirect) emissions.
In Asia, Solidaridad introduced (pilot) carbon incentives as a new income stream and business model for small and marginal farmers. The pilot was implemented in partnership with Boomitra under the URVARA project and is one of the first soil-based “Social Carbon” verified carbon removal units (CRUs) in India. Satellite-based digital measurement, reporting and verification enabled the issuance of 8,805 carbon credits from 4,225 acres of cotton cultivation. The marketing and sale of CRUs are expected in Q1 and Q2 of 2026, benefiting 1,400 smallholder farmers.
One kilogram of fibre cloth produces an average of about 17 kg to 23 kg of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), with the majority of emissions coming from spinning, weaving and wet processing. Contributing a fair share of industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the textile industry has been targeted by consumers, civil society actors, government and investors regarding its commitment to reduce Scope 1 and 2 (direct) emissions. Solidaridad Asia, through its process and technology innovations, has built an evidence-based model for GHG reduction that can deliver 600-1000 kg of CO2e reduction per factory. The technology and process innovations include automatic controllers on jet dyeing machines, vacuum suction slits on stenter machines, heat recovery systems and water spray guns, among other such processes.
In Bangladesh, Solidaridad supported 10 textile companies in adopting the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and the Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) framework. The aggregated analysis showed that Scope 2 (direct) emissions consistently accounted for the largest share of total factory emissions (more than 40%) and, in some cases, over 70% of the total footprint. Based on the Scope 2 hotspot analysis, factories prioritized high-impact categories, particularly purchased goods and services, by embedding supplier engagement, material substitution (e.g., recycled and lower-carbon fibres), sustainability scorecards and procurement-linked emission benchmarks into sourcing decisions. Additional measures targeted upstream energy- and fuel-related emissions, logistics optimization, waste reduction and circular reuse, and recyclable product design, collectively forming a structured roadmap aligned with SBTi near-term reduction pathways, working toward a 25–30% reduction by 2030.
To champion gender and social inclusion in the textiles sector, Solidaridad has developed and implemented the Gender Inclusivity Assessment Tool (GIAT). The tool is specifically designed to identify and address the deeply rooted social norms that limit women’s leadership and growth in the textile sector. GIAT helps factories in identifying gender gaps in four key areas: equal pay, career progression, safety and workplace culture. In doing so, it supports factories in their “Just Transition” plan to showcase proof of progress in alignment with the global buyers’ expectations for an inclusive workplace.
In 2025, three companies — 4A Yarn Dyeing, Desh Garments and InterFAB — in Bangladesh rolled out the inclusivity tool in their factories. By doing so, these factories reported a 15-20% improvement in team cohesion and a reduction in absenteeism, thereby improving productivity.
Women make up 60% of the 4-million-strong workforce in the country’s textiles sector. The Gender Inclusivity Assessment Tool evaluates and enhances factory policies on technical skills, compliance and female leadership. One notable outcome of using the tool: 2,958 workers, 70% of whom are female, were trained in productivity and leadership in 2025.
This focus on getting women into supervisory roles is a powerful step towards a more equitable, productive and resilient workforce, ensuring that sustainability efforts positively impact workers’ livelihoods. “Today, I contribute not only to quality improvement but also to mentoring other women on the floor. I feel confident in my work and (am) proud to show other women that they, too, have a future here if they continue to learn and take on greater responsibilities,” says Eva Moni, a junior executive at 4A Yarn Dyeing Ltd., Bangladesh.
The key opportunity for scale is to leverage policy commitments from industry associations, such as the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, to institutionalize the tool across the sector, moving beyond pilot factories.
Organization and Governance
Strategic Realignment and Internal System Strengthening
Internal efforts in 2025 centered on organizational realignment, strategic investments like taking over Regenagri, the transition to outcome-driven communications and PMEL functions, and stable financial performance amidst increased investment in new technical staff. We also finalized our next 5-year Multi-Annual Strategic Plan (or MASP) for the period of 2026-2030, centered around resilient farms, decent work and just markets.
Reintegrate India with Asia operations: After a thorough analysis and discussion with the Continental Supervisory Board and the Management Team of Asia, the need to restructure the Asian operations had become evident. It would be necessary to effectively navigate the emerging challenges of scale and increasing audit and donor compliance requirements. A key outcome of these deliberations was the decision to reintegrate Solidaridad India with the Asia operations. Consequently, the Managing Director assumed direct leadership of the SREC (Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre, India) as Country Manager, resulting in the closure of the Country Manager position for India.
Regenagri: Solidaridad Asia, on 21 May 2025, took over the shares of Regenagri (CIC UK) from the Solidaridad Network Foundation, making Solidaridad Asia the largest shareholder in Regenagri. This marks a tectonic shift in the sustainability initiatives, with more than 2.5 million hectares of land being Regenagri-certified. The intent of holding the largest share allocation is driven by the need to raise the bar and the floor of certification standards and processes, to bring credibility, traceability and most importantly, trust in the certification systems.
Thailand office update: In Thailand, given the absence of a legal entity and inability to generate a large-scale project, the position of Country Manager for Thailand was closed after due deliberation and discussions with the erstwhile Country Manager of Thailand.
China office update: During 2025, China got its registration as a branch of the Network Secretariat, with all the operations now being directly under the Network Secretariat’s supervision. Solidaridad Asia’s roles lack clarity, particularly in providing support to financial systems, project management and HR systems.
The Human Resources team in Asia transitioned from a compliance-based function to a supportive supervision role, delivering strategic inputs, facilitating informed decision-making and addressing grievances.
The regional office conducted four online trainings, in addition to country-specific training, to enhance awareness of Solidaridad’s integrity and other grievance policies and processes.
The goal of improving the HR systems led to a review of the induction processes to make them comprehensive and more focused on the principles and ethos of Solidaridad. This has helped in the cultural integration of the new joiners. The appraisal process and the Health & Safety Policy were also reviewed across Solidaridad Asia. An international consultant has been hired to help us identify the gaps and suggest areas of improvement. The outcome will be reviewed in April 2026, along with the Consultant’s report.
In 2025, an improved version of the staff attendance system was implemented in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Giving due consideration to the challenges faced by field staff (who account for 60-75% of the total staff strength), country-specific app-based software was implemented to facilitate attendance, as well as leave and travel approvals.
Solidaridad Asia is firmly committed to a policy of equal opportunity in all HR practices based on performance and competencies. It is our constant endeavor to ensure that women are recruited across all countries of operation and across all hierarchical levels. We achieved 25% participation by women.
| Country | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh | 86 | 9 |
| India | 367 | 101 |
| Indonesia | 50 | 29 |
| Japan | 0 | 1 |
| Malaysia | 16 | 32 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1 |
| Thailand | 2 | 2 |
| Head office- Asia | 10 | 4 |
| TOTAL | 532 | 179 |
In many ways, 2025 marked a significant shift in the operations of Asia’s Communications team. This change was spearheaded by a conscious decision to evolve our storytelling from activity-focused to evidence-based, and to adopt an outcome- and impact-oriented approach to narrating and documenting change that matters.
Integrated Communications Approach: This approach is guided by the understanding that the same content must reach and engage different target audiences in different formats (carousels, videos, stories, publications) and be shared across different channels. This, in turn, has led Communications to drive more consistent, uniform messaging for Solidaridad across Asia and to improve the brand’s value proposition to current and potential partners. (See for reference: Charting a path to palm oil self-sufficiency in India: White paper provides actionable insights |Launch note | Media coverage | LinkedIn | YouTube)
While outreach on social media and other platforms built on existing standards and templates, the highlight of this year was our efforts to develop a steady presence on YouTube, a previously unexplored medium, through our channel, Solidaridad for Sustainable Asia. The channel, which has gained 15,000+ subscribers in a little over six months, is now one of our key avenues for sustained visibility and branding.
Evidence-based Quality Publications: Several publications over the year also helped us scale up our efforts at consistent and thoughtful branding, positioning, messaging and policy advocacy. Key communications-led projects included:
- पुनर्योजी कृषि के क, ख, ग (The ABC of Regenerative Agriculture)
- Pathways to Prosperity: Voices from the Ground
- Securing Local Food Systems and Ensuring Access to Nutritious Food in Rural Africa and India: The Promise of Regenerative Agriculture
- Food, Market and Climate Conundrum: Placing Business Emissions at the Forefront
- Charting the Path to Palm Oil Self Sufficiency in India
- From Field to Fortune: A Strategic Roadmap for Oilseed Production in Odisha
(See ANNEXURE for details about and links to these publications)
Claiming Thought Leadership: We secured editorial space in several digital and print platforms (websites, newspapers), where our experts contributed to thought-leadership and op-ed articles on relevant themes. By drawing on insights from our experiences and offering recommendations for action, these write-ups featured critical reflections on the evolving role of Solidaridad and the avenues it can pursue in the future to advance the cause of sustainability. (See ANNEXURE for links to these articles and write-ups)
Organizing and Participating in High-Impact Events: In 2025, we participated in and highlighted our significant organizational impact (through presentations, exhibitions, publications and product displays) during select, high-impact events such as COP30, IPORICE, the India and Sustainability Standards Summit 2025, World Water Week 2025 and more. The Communications team curated and drafted the messages and positions to be adopted in such events. Additionally, the team organized multistakeholder events with a focus on policy advocacy and partnership-building with like-minded institutions. We are selective about the events we participate in that lend us visibility—there must be a value proposition for our presence in forums and platforms; otherwise, we risk diluting our brand.
Capacity building: The Communications team conducted workshops, with sessions focused on digital marketing for social media and writing for the web for the team, and effective storytelling for all staff.
A CROSS-REGION APPROACH
Across Asia, the communications teams worked in alignment with country and regional priorities.
Consistent messaging, branding and positioning was maintained in social media updates, website articles, newsletters, communiqués/press releases, workshops and more. We also used LinkedIn articles much more frequently to provide readers with a more immersive, diverse and in-depth view of our operations in Asia.
Across Asia, the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) function has increasingly evolved into a strategic enabler of evidence-based performance. In 2025, the region demonstrated a strong shift towards improving data quality, strengthening monitoring systems and ensuring that insights are actively used to inform programme design and implementation. Several region-specific learnings, emerging from 10 evaluations, six research studies and multiple system-strengthening initiatives across four countries, are particularly relevant for external stakeholders.
List of Evaluations Conducted by Country
| Sl. No. | Name of Country | Evaluation Conducted |
| 1 | India | Baseline evaluation of Small Tea Growers’ Resilience, Inclusion, and Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project |
| 2 | Endline evaluation of the project Good Farming, Good Food: Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security and Transforming Smallholders’ Livelihood in Madhya Pradesh, India | |
| 3 | Value chain gap assessment for two horticulture Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in India for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN). Produced three reports: two individual CoE assessment reports and one consolidated report | |
| 4 | Bangladesh | Baseline evaluation on Green Dairy Partnership in Bangladesh – Creating a Sustainable and Productive Dairy Value Chain Model in southwest Bangladesh |
| 5 | Midterm evaluation of the Integrated Water Resource Management project | |
| 6 | Endline evaluation of Smart Farming Healthy Food project | |
| 7 | Endline evaluation of Reclaim Sustainability! project (2021–2025) | |
| 8 | Malaysia | NISCOPS baseline study |
| 9 | Ongoing study: Dealer Network and Supply Chain Study, to examine dealer networks and supply chain dynamics with the University Putra Malaysia (UPM) | |
| 10 | Ongoing study: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Profiling Study focuses on developing a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions profile for smallholder farms |
In India, evaluation and research activities have generated valuable insights across multiple sectors. The baseline study for the ‘Small Tea Growers’ Resilience, Inclusion, and Value Enhancement (STRIVE)’ project identified key gaps related to productivity, institutional access, gender inclusion and climate resilience among small tea growers. These findings are being used to design targeted interventions that address structural challenges in the tea sector. The endline evaluation of the ‘Good Farming, Good Food’ project in Madhya Pradesh demonstrated improvements in food and nutrition security and smallholder livelihoods, highlighting the effectiveness of integrated farming approaches.
A significant contribution from India is the Value Chain Gap Assessment of Horticultural Centers of Excellence (CoEs), conducted for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The study identified operational and market-related constraints affecting the performance of these centers and provided actionable recommendations to strengthen their market orientation and sustainability. The strong positive feedback on these reports underscores the value of rigorous, market-focused analysis in improving institutional models that support farmers.
Bangladesh highlights strong progress in productivity, climate resilience and market systems, alongside key sustainability gaps. The baseline study of the ‘Green Dairy Partnership’ project highlights substantial untapped potential within the dairy sector. The study found that milk productivity remains low, with limited awareness of improved farm management practices. Market systems are also underdeveloped. The study also highlights environmental challenges, underscoring the need for climate-smart dairy practices.
A key learning from the mid-term review of the ‘SAFAL Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)’ project is the critical role of community-led water governance in improving agricultural outcomes. The endline evaluation of the ‘Smart farming Healthy Food’ project highlights that in the vegetable sector, adoption of climate-smart and good agricultural practices led to substantial gains. Women’s participation in homestead production improved household nutrition and incomes. The end-term evaluation of the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme provides insights into strengthening inclusive and sustainable value chains. While global in scope, findings from Bangladesh and similar contexts emphasize the importance of combining field-level interventions with policy engagement, digital traceability tools and market system strengthening. The programme demonstrated how improving transparency, promoting responsible purchasing practices and strengthening farmer and worker representation can enhance inclusiveness and sustainability across value chains.
In Malaysia, NISCOPS baseline findings revealed that many smallholders were using non-authenticated fertilizers and applying them incorrectly, negatively affecting productivity and environmental outcomes. In response, targeted interventions were introduced, including training on proper fertilizer application, authenticity testing and soil and nutrient management. This reflects a clear shift from focusing on outputs, such as the number of trainings delivered, to improving outcomes related to farm practices and input use efficiency. Ongoing studies on dealer networks and greenhouse gas (GHG) profiling are addressing critical gaps in understanding smallholder supply chains and emissions. The GHG study is particularly important as it seeks to adapt plantation-based emission calculators to better reflect smallholder contexts.
At a strategic level, PMEL has played a key role in informing programme design and scaling. Evidence generated across projects has contributed to the development of 15–20 new proposals and the completion of the 2026–2030 Multi-annual Strategic Plan. Regular review mechanisms and cross-country learning processes have further strengthened adaptive management practices across the region.
Finance
continued strength and stability in a tumultuous global economy
In the backdrop of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) fund allocation reduction and supply chain sustainability budget decrease for the companies, Solidaridad Asia maintained the total income of 15.56 million euros for the year 2025. Income realization over the last three years has been maintained at around 15 million euros, indicating continued strength and stability in a tumultuous global economy.
Note: The consolidated financial statements of Solidaridad Asia for 2025 do not include regenagri financial statements. The regenagri financial statements shall be integrated by 15 April 2026.