The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a law aimed at curbing the import of commodities linked to deforestation by requiring companies to prove their global supply chains are not contributing to the destruction of forests. This is reported by ProAgro Group with reference to Euronews.
The proposed law sets mandatory due diligence rules for importers of specific commodities into the European Union market: soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa and coffee and some derived products including leather, chocolate and furniture.
While many European companies have sprawling global operations, including in countries where environmental abuses are rife, there is currently no EU-wide requirement for them to have a due diligence process in place.
The proposed law comes after world leaders from countries including Brazil, China and Malaysia promised to end deforestation by 2030 at this month’s COP26 summit.
Under the proposed law, which needs to be approved by EU governments and the European parliament, companies will have to show that their commodities were produced in accordance with the laws of the producing country.
However, they will also have to show the commodities were not grown on any land deforested or degraded, even if it is legal to produce there according to producing country law.
