Getting ready for the EU Deforestation Regulation
Global deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 420 million hectares of forest – about 10 % of the world’s remaining forests, equalling an area larger than the European Union – have been lost worldwide between 1990 and 2020.
The EU has some regulatory measures in place that tackle some drivers of deforestation, but these do not address deforestation as a whole. The EU implemented its new Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products which came into force on 29 June 2023. This regulation aims to promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation.
The main driver of these processes is the expansion of agricultural land that is linked to the production of commodities like cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, coffee, rubber, and some of their derived products, such as leather, chocolate, tyres, or furniture. Under this new regulation any operator or trade who places these commodities on the EU market must be able to prove that the products do not originate from deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation.
Food and drink producers using these commodities or derived products will be impacted and will need to review their supply chains to ensure that they will be in compliance with the requirements of the regulation.
Speakers
Ramboll’s experts will describe the impact of the new regulation and related issues.
Dr Meera Cush is a senior toxicologist who holds EUROTOX and UK Registered Toxicologist accreditation together with a Chartered Biologist status. With over 20 years’ experience in the field of toxicology, Meera has a wealth of experience in the risk assessment of chemicals found in food, environment and of consumer products. Meera leads the UK Health Sciences Team and the European Food Safety Practice at Ramboll. She is a Human Health Toxicologist of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) and the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) advising the UK government and agencies.
Martin Broderick is a principal sustainability consultant who has worked at Ramboll for 9 years where his primary focus is supporting clients in the delivery of strategic sustainability projects. Martin is European Lead for Ramboll’s Galago Team, who utilise remote sensing data and machine learning artificial intelligence to provide clients with a range of insights across the globe for land assets at a landscape scale, supporting them to deliver more sustainable outcomes.
Audience
- Regulatory affairs
- Sustainability managers
- Policy / trade associations
- Supply chain managers