Parliament Grants Companies an Additional Year to Comply with Deforestation Law
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The European Parliament has voted to grant companies an additional year to comply with the EU’s new deforestation law, which aims to eliminate products linked to deforestation from the EU market by 2023.
The original deadline for companies to implement due diligence measures to ensure their supply chains are deforestation-free was December 2023. However, the parliament has now approved an amendment extending this deadline to December 2024.
The extension was supported by a majority of MEPs, who argued that it would provide companies with more time to adapt to the new requirements and avoid disruptions in their supply chains. Opponents of the extension, including environmental groups, criticized the move, arguing that it would delay the implementation of the law and undermine its effectiveness.
The deforestation law, which was adopted in November 2022, requires companies that import, export, or sell products such as beef, soy, coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and wood into the EU to assess and mitigate the risk of deforestation and forest degradation in their supply chains.
Companies must conduct due diligence to identify and mitigate the risks of sourcing commodities linked to deforestation. They must also provide information to consumers about the deforestation risk associated with their products.
The European Commission, which proposed the law, welcomed the parliament’s decision to extend the compliance deadline. The Commission said it would use the additional time to provide further guidance and support to companies in implementing the new requirements.
Environmental groups expressed disappointment with the extension. Greenpeace said the delay would “give companies a free pass to continue destroying forests for another year.”
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said it was “concerned that this extension will undermine the effectiveness of the law and delay the protection of forests and the livelihoods of those who depend on them.”
The Deforestation Law is a landmark piece of legislation that has the potential to significantly reduce deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics. However, its effectiveness will depend on the willingness of companies to comply with the new requirements.
The extension of the compliance deadline may provide companies with more time to prepare, but it also raises the risk that the implementation of the law will be delayed and its effectiveness weakened.
Press release – Deforestation law: Parliament gives companies extra year to comply
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