EU countries adopt law banning products which fuel deforestation

BRUSSELS: The 27 European Union countries have formally adopted new rules that should help the bloc reduce its contribution to global deforestation by regulating the trade in a series of goods.

Under the legislation, companies trading palm oil, cattle, wood, coffee, cocoa, rubber and soy will need to verify that the goods they sell in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation anywhere in the world since 2021.

The regulation also covers derived products such as chocolate or printed paper.

Forests are an important natural means of removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, since plants absorb carbon dioxide when they grow.

According to the World Resource Institute, a forest area the size of 10 soccer pitches disappears in the world every minute and the EU says that without the new regulation it could be responsible for the loss of 248,000 hectares of deforestation per year — a surface almost as large as member country Luxembourg.

The law will force companies to show that goods they import comply with rules in the country of origin, including on human rights and the protection of indigenous people.

Forests around the world are increasingly under threat from clearance for timber and agriculture, including soybean and palm oil. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that 420 million hectares (1.6 million square miles) of forest — an area larger than the EU — were destroyed between 1990 and 2020.