Posted Sep 28, 2022, 3:15 PM
This is a major turning point. Widely welcomed by conservationists. The European Parliament adopted last week by a very large majority a draft regulation aimed at putting an end to what is called “imported deforestation”. Soon, European companies will therefore have to guarantee that the raw materials they source do not contribute to devastating the forests in their countries of origin.
Exhaustive list
Above all, the NGOs succeeded in convincing the MEPs to adopt the most exhaustive list of productions concerned. Soybeans, palm oil, beef, poultry, cocoa, coffee, wood, rubber, leather and corn are therefore in the crosshairs. Many of these goods indeed come from cultivated lands after having been roughly deforested, often by fire. According to a WWF report, Europe is thus responsible for 16% of global deforestation. Greenpeace specifies that between 2005 and 2017, imports from the EU caused the deforestation of 3.5 million hectares, mainly due to soy (31%) and palm oil (24%).
Cattle laundering
In France, companies were already subject by law to a duty of care. This did not prevent the Casino and Carrefour groups from being pinned in 2021 by the NGO Mighty Earth for non-compliance with this text. In the process, last December, the Auchan, Lidl and Carrefour brands undertook to no longer obtain supplies from three Brazilian meat giants suspected of carrying out “cattle laundering” aimed at misleading about the origin of the animals.
Support local producers
If the text is adopted as it stands, companies will have to certify, with supporting documents, the specific origin of their goods. This should have a positive systemic impact. On condition, however, of supporting the transition of local producers who, particularly in Africa, do not deforest for fun but to meet the needs of their families!
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