In the European Union, companies will be required to provide proof of their sustainability in order to sell coffee, cocoa, beef, palm oil, soybeans and timber. If they violate environmental regulations during the course of production by deforestation, they will no longer be able to remain on the market. The corresponding bill was adopted by the European Parliament.
In November last year, the European Commission came up with such an initiative.
The European Parliament expanded the original draft of the law and included in it the requirement to comply with environmental standards in relation not only to trees, but also to shrubs, shrub forests and other forest lands. Therefore, for example, savannahs and other spaces with sparse vegetation will be protected.
Thus, in the EU countries it will be possible to buy only those products that do not lead to global deforestation. According to the European Commission, from 1990 to 2020, the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest – this area is more than the entire European Union.
The new law could enter into force as early as the end of 2022 if it is adopted by the Council of the European Union.
