EU aims to curb deforestation with proposed imports ban

The import of coffee, beef, leather and other products connected with deforestation could be banned in the EU under proposed laws that aim to end the large-scale felling of the world's rainforests.

Two weeks after world leaders signed a pledge to reverse deforestation at COP26, the European Commission proposed the legislation, which would apply mandatory due diligence rules for the import of specific products into the EU market. 

These products include coffee, beef, soy, palm oil, cocoa and wood, and also includes derived goods including chocolate, leather and furniture.

One notable omission from the list of banned imports was rubber, an exclusion that has been roundly criticised by climate activists.

Read more: "Global forests need global governance", Tropical Timber Accord launches at COP26

If passed, companies will have to prove that the products have no links with deforestation. Failure to do so could result in fines of as much as 4% of a company's annual revenue in an EU member state.

Many European companies have large global operations, including in parts of the world where environmental abuses are widespread, there is currently no requirement, on an EU-wide level, for them to have due diligence in place, or to repair any environmental damage caused by their supply chains.

Land-use sector emissions, which are mostly a consequence of deforestation, are second only to the burning of fossil fuels in terms of environmental impact.

EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said: "To succeed in the global fight against the climate and biodiversity crises we must take the responsibility to act at home as well as abroad. Our deforestation regulation answers citizens' calls to minimise the European contribution to deforestation and promote sustainable consumption."

The legislation must first be approved by the European Parliament and the 27 EU member states, but if successful, all companies operating in the bloc must be able to show the goods were made in accordance with the laws of the country in which they were produced.

It would also require EU companies to gather geographic data such as coordinates, that show where commodities were produced, and to monitor the areas for deforestation rates via satellite.

Companies will also have to show the commodities were not grown on any deforested or degraded land after December 31, 2020, even if it is legal to produce there according to producing country law.

Read more: Biomass and its role in the energy transition

The Commission aims for the law to be passed by 2023 and would allow large companies a one-year grace period to comply and smaller companies a two-year grace period.

The EU executive also proposed the legislation be regularly reviewed and updated, allowing for other goods and products to be added to the list.

European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: "If we expect more ambitious climate and environmental policies from partners, we should stop... supporting deforestation ourselves.

"The deforestation... regulations we are putting on the table are the most ambitious legislative attempts to tackle these issues worldwide ever. With these proposals, we are taking our responsibility and walking the talk by lowering our global impact on pollution and biodiversity loss."

While the proposals have been widely welcomed by environmental campaigners, some have pointed to gaps and argued the law needs to be strengthened as it leaves out a number of important natural ecosystems such as peatlands, wetlands and savannahs, as well as its failure to include rubber, which poses a large threat to forests.

The plans have also been criticised for failing to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples in their ancestral lands.

Read more: The Amazon is now emitting more CO2 than it can absorb, scientists confirm

"The EU draft anti-deforestation law represents a major leap forward in the fight to protect the world’s endangered forests," said Nico Muzi, Europe Director of Mighty Earth. "The EU is sending a clear message to major supermarkets and retailers: one of the largest economies in the world simply won’t accept agricultural products linked to deforestation." 

He cautioned, however, that the law "must be strengthened if the EU is serious about fulfilling its COP26 pledge to end deforestation by 2030. It pointlessly leaves out carbon-rich natural ecosystems such as Brazil’s Cerrado and Southeast Asia’s peatland – as well as rubber, an important forest-risk commodity. It also misses the opportunity to protect indigenous peoples, who are some of the best defenders of the land."

According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, from 1990 to 2020, the world lost 420 million hectares of forest.

According to a Commission estimate, between 1990 and 2008, EU consumption led to 10% of global deforestation.

Back to Homepage

Back to Consumer Goods

Back to Politics & Economics