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"Statement of support from businesses for an effective EU law to halt the trade in commodities and products linked to deforestation and conversion"
We, the undersigned companies, are deeply concerned by the ongoing destruction of natural forests and other natural ecosystems globally and its contribution to climate change, biodiversity loss and human rights violations. The continued destruction and degradation of nature directly and negatively affects agricultural production and other economic activities, impacting markets and human well-being. Unfair competition, based on products linked to destructive management practices, harms those companies committed to acting responsibly on the European market.
We welcome the European Commission’s initiative to reduce the impact of products placed on the EU market on deforestation, ecosystem conversion and nature degradation as well as the actions laid out in the EU Communication (2019) on “Stepping up EU action to protect and restore the world’s forests” as a good start. As companies committed to responsible supply chains, we believe that effective EU legislation is urgently needed to tackle this problem – establishing a level playing field for more sustainable commodities and products to be placed on the EU market.
We therefore consider it important that the European Union adopts a robust law that minimises the risk of conversion and degradation of natural ecosystems (alongside deforestation and the degradation of natural forests) as well as human rights violations, associated with commodities and products placed on the EU market.
We urge the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Member States to integrate the following elements into a new cross-commodity EU regulation, as they reflect our own ambitions and can ensure that the new law is effective and beneficial for nature, people and business:
Requirements for increased supply chain transparency and traceability for all companies. [...]
Development of a clear legislative framework including a due diligence obligation, taking into account the experience of different stakeholders and based on objective and scientific criteria. [...]
Include the finance sector and institutions financing commodities and products. [...]
Address both deforestation and the conversion of other natural ecosystems as well as their degradation. [...]
Ensure that new legislation is implemented and enforced in a harmonised way across the EU. [...]
Eleven EU member states—including Austria, Luxembourg, Italy, Finland, and others – have asked the European Commission to further delay and soften the EU’s deforestation-free products law.
The EU has eased reporting requirements under its anti-deforestation law by allowing companies to submit annual due diligence statements instead of for each shipment, prompting criticism from campaigners who warn it could weaken enforcement.
Finnish companies face varying levels of preparedness for EU sustainability regulations, with a key challenge including regulatory uncertainty created by the EU, a new study finds.
The EU Parliament approved a one-year delay for companies to comply with the deforestation regulation, now set to apply from December 2025 for large operators and June 2026 for small businesses.
The new guide by Forest Peoples Programme outlines how indigenous and forest peoples can use the EU Deforestation Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to address corporate-linked human rights violations and environmental harm.
The EU Parliament has sent the EUDR back to the committee for interinstitutional trilogue negotiations to grant companies an additional year for implementation.
Nestlé, Ferrero, Unilever and Mars have joined calls by other food and drink manufacturers in opposing the European Union’s delay to deforestation laws.
The Cocoa Coalition, comprising companies and civil society organizations, supports the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and urges swift adoption of the delayed implementation without reopening negotiations, while also calling for support to smallholder farmers for compliance.
Friends of the Earth Europe and 225 organizations urge the EU to reject a proposal delaying the EU Deforestation Regulation, emphasising its importance in combating deforestation and supporting human rights.
The EU's anti-deforestation regulation faces criticism for potentially allowing major deforestation contributors to avoid being classified as "high risk," which could weaken the regulation's effectiveness.
The article argues that the EU's anti-deforestation law should prioritize input from frontline communities, as governments in Malaysia and Indonesia are undermining Indigenous rights and providing unreliable forest data.
New analysis by Earthsight reveals European consumers have been buying beef and leather from firms linked to illegalities in the Brazilian Amazon uncovered by the Environmental Investigation Agency. According to Earthsight this serves as a reminder that without the EU Deforestation Regulation, European consumption will continue to drive deforestation and rights abuses overseas.
The companies consider it important that the European Union adopts a robust law that minimises the risk of conversion and degradation of natural ecosystems (alongside deforestation and the degradation of natural forests) as well as human rights violations, associated with commodities and products placed on the EU market.
A delegation of indigenous, human rights, and environmental organisations published a statement urging the European Commission to include independent civil society groups in ongoing key talks with Malaysia and Indonesia over its anti-deforestation rules.
Companies – and the EU Competent Authorities that have the responsibility of implementing the law - now have 18 months to prepare before the law comes into action, at the end of 2024.
While the law is a historic first, it fails to include strong provisions to protect the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who time and time again have proven to be the best guardians of the forests, says NGO Fern.
EU legislators reached political agreement in the early hours of Tuesday, 6 December, to pass a new law to ensure products on the EU market are not linked to the destruction or degradation of forests. WWF and Greenpeace welcome the law as breakthrough but also point to some of its weaknesses.
Negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and Council are set to finalise next week. One crucial provision of the draft law currently being targeted by certain EU member states, is the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
A delegation of MEPs will now take the Parliament's position to negotiations with the EU Member States, who agreed a range of changes in the EU Council in June to weaken key elements of the proposed law.
Measures would oblige banks to conduct due diligence to prevent the financing of deforestation, boost protections for indigenous communities, and add rubber and leather to the list of imported products that would be screened for deforestation links.
The Council adopted its negotiating position (general approach) on a proposal to limit the consumption of products contributing to deforestation or forest degradation.
Almost all plantations linked to deforestation are currently owned by just three multinational companies, which together have made deals worth billions of euros with European banks.
Indonesian civil society groups call for the EU proposal to be strengthened by including SMEs, a complaint mechanism, and by considering the impact on small holders, indigenous groups and communities
Lessons from the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation show that Member States’ Competent Authorities often fail to meaningfully implement and enforce the law in practice, argues Earthsight
Some EU member states want more time to implement the upcoming anti-deforestation law, which includes due-diligence obligations, citing concerns about the administrative burden that SMEs might face.
The undersigned organisations, welcome the European Commission’s proposal for a new EU regulation on deforestation-free products. It is now up to the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and improve the essential elements of the Commission’s proposal and deliver a strong and ambitious law.
Civil society organisations and representatives of Indigenous communities all over the world call on the EU to require businesses to respect land rights in anti-deforestation rules
Cameroonian activists rallied in front of the EU delegation in Yaoundé to demand the block to cease support for rubber linked to deforestation, and to call for an ambitious EU legislation on forest commodities
The fate of the proposals on (i) minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market and (ii) sustainable corporate governance is now unclear, raising concerns among civil society.
The organisations call on the EU to ensure that its upcoming legislative measures are effective and fully uphold their rights as set out in international law, and in line with the EU’s own commitments.
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