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Despite pledging environmental reforms, the UK continues to import commodities tied to deforestation at an alarming scale, according to a new analysis by Global Witness. Since the introduction of the 2021 Environment Act, Britain has amassed an annual deforestation footprint comparable in size to Liverpool, Cardiff, or Newcastle—a stark contradiction to its green commitments.
The legislation, introduced under the previous Conservative government, laid the groundwork for a "forest risk commodities" regulation, requiring companies to report and conduct due diligence on products like cattle (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil, and soybeans to ensure they aren’t sourced from illegally deforested land. However, the crucial secondary legislation needed to enforce these rules remains in limbo years later.
Without secondary legislation, the law remains little more than a symbolic gesture. The UK government has yet to define key aspects, such as:
Which commodities will be covered under the law?
Which businesses must comply (based on company size and supply chain impact)?
What penalties will be imposed for failure to comply?
Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the law will include human rights protections, such as ensuring supply chains are free from forced labor or the displacement of indigenous communities, says Alexandria Reid, Senior Global Policy Adviser at Global Witness.
Weaker Than the EU’s Law?
The UK's proposed policy falls short compared to the recently passed EU Deforestation Regulation. The EU law bans the importation of products linked to deforestation. At the same time, the UK's version only prohibits deforestation deemed illegal under local laws. This loophole could allow destruction to continue unchecked. Additionally, the UK proposal omits key commodities like coffee and rubber, which are included in the EU’s framework.
In 2024, the Environmental Audit Committee recommended strengthening the Environment Act to cover all deforestation, not just illegal cases. Reid welcomes this expansion and sees COP30, the UN climate summit in Brazil, as a crucial moment for the UK to finalize its secondary legislation.
With Labour now in power, environmentalists worry that the party’s focus on "slashing red tape" in pursuit of economic growth could undermine crucial protections for forests. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has remained tight-lipped on when or how the legislation will be enforced.
Reid stresses the urgency of decisive action, warning that deforestation remains a major driver of climate change: “We know that deforestation is contributing massively to climate change through the release of carbon emissions” and that “carbon sequestration services are lost” when forests are chopped down.
With global temperatures rising and biodiversity in crisis, the question remains—will the UK finally take real action, or will it continue to fuel deforestation while hiding behind empty promises?
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