PEFC’s active engagement in the new EU Deforestation Regulation

4 May 2023 EU Deforestation Regulation

In our recent PEFC webinar, we presented the new EU Deforestation Regulation and PEFC’s related work. We invite you to view the recording, which addresses three important areas. We start with the first micro topic, which emphasizes PEFC’s support to the EU objectives and presents the impact the new Regulation will bring in the EU and globally.

PEFC supports the EU’s efforts in fighting climate change and deforestation globally

Climate change remains a major threat to the planet. Halting deforestation and protecting the world’s forests is seen as an important solution to the global crisis, but also as way to halt biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem services. Further, forests provide us with alternative nature-based products including sustainable and renewable material for a circular economy.   

Siti Syaliza Mustapha, PEFC’s Deputy Secretary General/COO highlighted: “We all share a common objective - to promote sustainable forest management and supply chains that achieve high sustainability standards. We need to employ multiple tools to achieve positive effects of forest use and work together to promote forest education and dissemination of credible information to support our joint efforts.”

EU Deforestation Regulation will bring major global implications for trading in and with the EU 

The European Union (EU) agreed on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in December 2022.

The new EU law aims to fight global deforestation and forest degradation driven by EU production and consumption by addressing a set of key goods, among them timber and rubber, and their derived products, trading in or with the EU market. 

The EUDR rules are expected to enter into force across the EU by June 2023. Then, commodities in scope may only be placed on, or exported from, the EU market if they are deforestation-free, legal, and supported by a mandatory due diligence statement conducted by companies.

Deforestation-free means produced on land that was not subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020, and legal means compliant with all relevant applicable laws in force in the country of production.

Operators and traders will have 18 months to implement the new rules and micro and small enterprises six months more.

“The new rules will have major global implications, as the EUDR will stop products linked to deforestation from being sold on, or exported from, the EU market in the case of non-compliance,” explained Maja Drča, PEFC EU Representative.

Maja added that “the EUDR is expanding the scope of and is gradually replacing the EU Timber Regulation.” 

Looking at the successful implementation of the EUDR, Maja put weight especially on the understanding and raising awareness of the EUDR requirements and its impact.

It will be important to consider all solutions and have different tools that are relevant for the implementation in place in time, including EU implementation tools and voluntary certification. Finally, it will only count if we have everyone on board.