The Deforestation Act (EUDR)
Protecting our trees has always been important- but now it is more than ever. Do you know just how many every day products contribute to the deforestation crisis? We explain how the EU Deforestation act aims to combat this, in bitesize chunk explanations.
🌱 What is the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)?
- A legislation which will apply to countries within the EU.
- It was initially implemented in 2023, but due to delays, the core rules will apply to medium and large companies from December 2025, and small to micro companies from June 2026.
🌱How will the EUDR work?
- The EUDR will stop supermarkets and EU shops from selling products which are connected to deforestation- whether this is a link in the supply chain or a direct cause from the product.
- As a result, EU companies will have to complete due diligence and provide evidence that the items in question have no overlap with forest destruction, if they want to keep on selling their produce.
- Additionally, an ‘Access to Justice’ clause was added to the EUDR so that local and indigenous communities can present evidence in court when it is suspected that the EUDR is not being complied with.
🌱 Why is the EUDR Important?
- Items we use and love on a daily basis are at risk of having a tainted and destructive past. This could be from the beans in your frothy coffee, to the leather of your car seat.
- Just think how large a football pitch is…that area of forest space is flattened every 2 seconds. I myself love a coffee, and I reckon it’ll be finished in about 6 seconds- that’s 12,150 square metres of forest decimated in tandem with my few gulps.
- Yet it’s only a select group of products which are responsible for this: beef, leather, soy, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber and maize. If we can manage and curb the vending of these items, with customs blocking those lacking ‘clear conscious’ paperwork, we can work towards longer standing forests.
🌱 But there’s more Work to be done…
- Once the EU Deforestation Regulation comes into force, it will be reviewed and potentially embellished. This is very important, as it currently has more than one shortcoming:
- The Law does not count Savannah’s and wetlands within the destruction-free requirements. We need a much more comprehensive definition for what qualifies as ‘forest degradation.’
- Not importing deforestation products does not extend to the vendor’s financial backers- should this law hold the whole supply chain accountable?
- The law does not strive to protect Indigenous peoples, yet they are the key protectors of the land in question. If this law is to have a real impact- surely we should be looking at the whole picture?
