EU Deforestation Regulation
Thursday 18th January 2024
This EU Regulation requires (EU) companies trading in coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya and wood, (amongst some other commodities) as well as products derived from these commodities, to conduct due diligence on the supply chain to ensure the goods do not result from recent (post 31 December 2020) deforestation, forest degradation or breaches of local environmental and social laws.
It will be prohibited to place specified goods on the EU market, or export them from the EU, unless they are ‘deforestation-free’ upon the enactment of the legislation. The original enforcement date of 30 December 2024 has been postponed by 12 months. Consequently, the new enforcement date is 30 December 2025.