UK has announced plans to introduce sweeping new rules aimed at reducing the country’s contribution to global deforestation, with businesses facing stricter legal obligations to ensure products such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil and rubber are not linked to illegal forest destruction.
The measures announced during London Climate Action Week represent a substantial change from voluntary business commitments to legally binding responsibilities under UK environmental law.
According to Nature Minister Mary Creagh, “tackling global deforestation is one of the most effective ways we can address climate change and protect some of the world’s most unique and precious wildlife.”
“That is why we are leading by example and scrutinising our own supply chains. Eliminating products linked to illegal deforestation not only helps to protect precious ecosystems but is good for our collective resilience and long-term prosperity.”
Mary Creagh
The government explained that the reforms will be enforced using powers under the Environment Act, as well as reinforced measures within the UK Timber Regulation framework, as part of a larger push to clean up global commodity supply chains.
Under the proposed system, companies operating in Great Britain that import or trade forest-risk commodities will be required to carry out enhanced due diligence. This means firms must verify that their supply chains are not contributing to illegal deforestation before products reach UK consumers.
The targeted commodities include soy, palm oil, cocoa, rubber and timber-linked goods, many of which are embedded in everyday supermarket products such as chocolate, cooking oils, shampoo and cosmetics.
Government figures highlight the scale of the UK’s indirect impact on global forests. In 2023 alone, UK consumption of forest-risk commodities was associated with approximately 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide—an area roughly one and a half times the size of Manchester—alongside an estimated 9.4 million tonnes of related carbon emissions.
Rainforests, particularly in regions such as the Amazon, Southeast Asia and Central Africa, are critical global carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. However, they continue to be cleared at alarming rates, with around 90 percent of global deforestation driven by agricultural expansion tied to international trade in commodities like palm oil and soy.
According to Andrew Opie, Director of Food & Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC),retailers support stronger regulation but warned that consistency with European rules will be important to avoid unnecessary complexity.
“Retailers welcome today’s announcement. We have long called for UK deforestation regulation as an important step in driving forest conservation across retail supply chains in line with business commitments, while supporting alignment with the EU where possible to avoid unnecessary costs and complexity for retailers and their customers”
Andrew Opie
He also stressed the need for a pragmatic enforcement approach, particularly given that EU deforestation rules are set to take effect in Northern Ireland at the end of the year.
Environmental groups, meanwhile, argue that delays in regulation risk leaving UK consumers unintentionally contributing to global forest destruction.
Gavin Crowden, Director of Advocacy at WWF, added that the stakes extend beyond environmental concerns and into national security.
“We rely on these forests for food and climate stability, and they’re home to extraordinary wildlife. With new rules finally coming into force in Northern Ireland at the end of the year, there is no excuse for further delay that would leave shoppers in the rest of the UK still unwittingly driving the destruction of the rainforest.”
Gavin Crowden
New Rules Aim to Reshape UK Supply Chains and Strengthen Global Forest Protection
The proposed legislation forms part of a wider strategy to make UK supply chains more transparent, traceable and environmentally sustainable, while also reducing the country’s indirect contribution to global land-use change.
Once implemented, the new rules will require companies to systematically assess the origins of forest-risk commodities and demonstrate that they are not linked to illegal deforestation or land clearing.
Later this year, companies, civil society organisations, and foreign partners will participate in a formal consultation process to draft the reforms. It is anticipated that the government would solicit feedback regarding the practical implementation of mandatory due diligence requirements, including data reporting guidelines and enforcement strategies.
Additionally, officials have hinted that the system in Great Britain will be closely aligned with regulations already being phased in under the Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR) of the European Union, which will be applicable in Northern Ireland starting in December 2026 under the Windsor Framework arrangements.
This alignment is intended to reduce administrative burdens for businesses operating across UK and EU markets, particularly exporters who must comply with multiple regulatory systems.
The government’s long-term ambition goes further still, with plans to transition towards a fully deforestation-free standard that would require relevant commodities to be produced without any forest loss or land conversion. This would build on existing international commitments made under the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, agreed at COP26, which aims to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.
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