The European Commission plans to revise the EU Deforestation Regulation, which aims to prevent forest clearing worldwide. However, critics warn that the proposed changes constitute a significant weakening of the existing legal framework. Primarily, the regulatory changes would involve overhauling the IT system used to document compliance, allowing multiple deliveries to be covered by a single due diligence statement. Furthermore, the Commission intends to clarify that the role of down-stream businesses in a supply chain is limited to merely recording and storing relevant information, and crucially, leather products are set to be excluded from the regulation entirely.
These potential adjustments have drawn strong criticism. Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Managing Director for the German Nature and Environmental Protection Association (DUH), remarked that the leather industry has successfully used “aggressive lobbying” to weaken the law. He pointed out that beef leather sourced from areas cleared illegally, such as the Amazon rainforest, could continue to be processed for European fashion items or car seats. Müller-Kraenner argued that this represents a series of setbacks for global forest protection, including previous postponements of the regulation’s effective date and generally eased requirements for European producers and retailers.
Despite these concerns, the DUH emphasized that the EU Deforestation Regulation is a vital component of the “Green Deal”. Müller-Kraenner noted that the regulation has already shown positive effects, leading to more transparent supply chains, investments by companies in deforestation-free practices, and efforts to combat land grabbing and forced labor. He urged the EU Commission not to jeopardize this progress, demanding the resolute enforcement of the regulation without further compromises or delays.
Providing global context, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that approximately 420 million hectares of forest-an area larger than the entirety of the EU-were lost between 1990 and 2020. While the EU is responsible for roughly 10% of global deforestation, the primary drivers are identified as soy (largely used for animal feed) and palm oil, which account for more than two-thirds of the damage. Global deforestation is estimated to be responsible for 10 to 15 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
