Companies selling certain commodities in Great Britain could be legally required to examine their supply chains for links to illegal deforestation overseas, under proposals the UK government put out for consultation, according to GOV.UK. The announcement coincides with a forests leaders' event at the COP31 climate talks in Antalya, where senior politicians including the Foreign Secretary are gathering.
Commodities covered
The government listed soy, palm oil, cattle, cocoa, timber, coffee and rubber. It noted that soy and palm oil turn up in items ranging from chocolate and cooking oils to toiletries and cosmetics, and said land may be unlawfully taken or cleared to produce them.
What the consultation proposes
Businesses, environmental groups and international stakeholders are being asked for their views. The government said the package includes mandatory due diligence duties drawing on existing powers, among them the Environment Act 2021, plus steps to tighten the UK Timber Regulation. Its longer-term ambition, it said, is a deforestation-free standard.
The UK's footprint
According to the government, UK consumption of deforestation-linked goods in 2023 was tied to around 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide, which it likened to roughly one and a half times the area of Manchester, and to 9.4m tonnes of carbon emissions. It added that many UK firms have already acted voluntarily, while major retailers have asked for a firmer regulatory framework.
The government said the plan would support the COP26 commitment, agreed in Glasgow with 144 other countries, to end and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Northern Ireland
Ministers said they want the rules in Great Britain to work in step with those in Northern Ireland, cutting needless red tape, safeguarding the UK internal market and backing growth driven by exports. In Northern Ireland, the EU's deforestation-free products regulation (EUDR) will start to apply in stages from 30 December 2026, the government said, and companies are being urged to prepare their supply chains before then.
