“The fate of the world’s forests is at stake”: EC pushes for deforestation-free supply chains
26 Jul 2019 --- The European Commission (EC) is stepping up action to protect and restore the world’s forests, which includes reducing the consumption of products that are linked to deforestation in favor of products from deforestation-free supply chains. The reinforced approach addresses both the supply and demand sides of the issue. The Commission will also encourage stronger certification schemes for deforestation-free products and assess possible demand-side legislative measures.
The EC has adopted a comprehensive communication setting out a new framework of actions to protect and restore the world's forests, which host 80 percent of biodiversity on land, support the livelihoods of around a quarter of the world's population, and are vital to fighting climate change.
It introduces measures for enhanced international cooperation with stakeholders and member states, promotion of sustainable finance, better use of land and resources, sustainable job creation and supply chain management and targeted research and data collection.
It also launches an assessment of possible new regulatory measures to minimize the impact of EU consumption on deforestation and forest degradation. In addition, a new platform on deforestation will bring together a broad range of relevant stakeholders.
A step in the right direction
As an NGO stakeholder, the Rainforest Alliance provided input to the communique, suggesting the EU should financially, technically, and politically support forested countries in developing or enforcing tenure policy and forest governance. The Rainforest Alliance also called for strengthened traceability and transparency.
“This is an important step, but it is only one step towards the comprehensive action we need to see,” says Han de Groot, CEO of the Rainforest Alliance. “The EU must energize and empower its constituents to translate these commitments into concrete action. No less than the fate of the world’s forests is at stake.”
“Deforestation and forest degradation are driven, at least in part, by consumption habits in developed countries, many of which are in the EU,” adds Henriette Walz, Deforestation Lead for the Rainforest Alliance. “The EU correctly identifies changing agricultural consumption patterns and partnering with producing countries to improve forest governance as tackling the root caused to deforestation. Both transparency on voluntary no-deforestation commitments and exploring regulatory measures are key steps to driving out deforestation from the EU imports by 2030.”
By Gaynor Selby
