The UK government has published a consultation on a new law aimed at protecting rainforests and clamping down on illegal deforestation. The proposed law would introduce mandatory supply chain due diligence obligations and reporting in relation to ‘forest risk’ commodities.
The government’s announcement follows the recommendations set out in a March 2020 report prepared by the Global Resource Initiative taskforce, a group comprising business representatives and environmental groups which has been tasked with finding ways to reduce the climate and environment impacts of key UK supply chains.
Under the new law, it will be illegal for larger businesses to use forest risk commodities that have not been produced in accordance with local laws. Due diligence must be undertaken to ensure this is the case, and companies will be required to report on the steps taken. Those who do not comply would be subject to fines. Forest risk commodities are commodities that can cause wide-scale deforestation such as beef, cocoa, palm oil, rubber and soya.
The consultation closes on 5 October 2020.
Further discussion of the proposals is available here.
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