Our Response to the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products

The Rainforest Alliance welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for an EU regulation on deforestation-free products. This proposal is an ambitious move to ensure the success of zero-deforestation commitments and create a level playing field for companies involved with such commodities. It sends a strong political and market signal in support of achieving deforestation-free supply chains.

However, there is still scope to improve the proposal and ensure that it can meet its own objectives. Notably, by aligning its provisions more consistently with existing, widely recognised initiatives, and better addressing the needs of local forest and farming communities in the Global South.

This paper outlines our key recommendations to EU decision-makers, including guidance on how to strengthen the proposal, and improve partnerships and cooperation mechanisms with producing countries, as part of the “smart mix” of measures needed to efficiently tackle the drivers of global deforestation. For more content on the definitions in the proposed regulation, please refer to the AFi White Paper “Definitions for success”.