Goods that cause deforestation will soon no longer be welcome in EU countries. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the member states have reached an agreement on this. Under the new rules, companies must be able to prove that their products have not contributed to harming the world’s forests.
For the production of agricultural products such as soybeans, cocoa, wood and rubber, forests are cut down, for example the rainforest. This aggravates the climate problem and is harmful to biodiversity.
The EU wants to stop this with new rules. This means that all companies involved have to meet strict conditions in order to be able to sell their products in European countries.
They must prove that no trees were felled or forests were otherwise damaged during production. It must therefore be clear where the products come from, so that the production process can be controlled. In addition to the aforementioned goods, this includes coffee, palm oil and livestock and products derived from them, such as beef, chocolate and furniture.
The rules are not final. The European Parliament and the Member States have yet to formally agree. Subsequently, companies have eighteen months to comply with the new laws. Smaller companies have more time.
Environmental organizations are enthusiastic, but also critical. They believe the EU should have gone much further. For example, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund are disappointed that the new law doesn’t apply to investors such as banks and pension funds. Greenpeace also hopes that so-called wetlands and savannahs will also be protected in the future and that corn and biodiesel will be included in the product list.
