Resources

Resources

Resources

TCA DEFINITION

“True Cost Accounting (TCA) is an evolving holistic and systemic approach to measure and value the positive and negative environmental, social, health and economic costs and benefits to facilitate business, consumer, investor and/or policy decisions.”

“True Cost Accounting (TCA) is an evolving holistic and systemic approach to measure and value the positive and negative environmental, social, health and economic costs and benefits to facilitate business, consumer, investor and/or policy decisions.”

This definition was the result of a consensus-driven process by conveners of the UN Food Systems Summit independent dialogue on TCA in 2021, building on earlier work establishing the core elements of TCA via the UN Environment Programme’s comprehensive 2018 TCA framework.

SUGGESTED READING

To ensure a constructive dialogue when we gather in Rome, it is important to recognize and build from TCA community efforts to date. We encourage Summit participants to familiarize themselves with the main messages from the following foundational TCA resources.

FRAMEWORK

2018

Overview of TEEBAgriFood, the UN Environment Program’s framework for systematic food system evaluations.

BRIEFING NOTE

2021

Briefing paper prepared for a dialogue on TCA during the 2021 UN Food System Summit that offered a dynamic way for a diverse range of stakeholders to explore how they can unite around transformative action in support of valuing the often-neglected impacts and dependencies that food systems have on nature, people and society.

REPORT

2023

Impact Institute analysis of 35 frameworks, methodologies, and tools available for public and private-sector decision-makers to conduct food systems assessments. Commissioned by the TCA Accelerator.

REPORT

2023

The report finds that the environmental, health and social hidden costs of our agrifood systems are at least $10 trillion a year. This represents almost 10% of global GDP. The report urges governments and the private sector to use true cost accounting to transform agrifood systems and address climate change, poverty, inequality and hunger at the same time.

REPORT

2024

This report builds on the findings of the 2023 edition, delving deeper into the use of true cost accounting assessments of agrifood systems and identifying policy interventions aimed at transformation.

For additional TCA resources, please visit our website.

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