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ARCHIVED - EU bans household products linked to deforestation
Common items like timber and coffee will undergo strict environmental checks before they can be imported to Spain
In a move described by environmental activists Greenpeace as a “breakthrough”, the EU has placed a ban on all products that can be linked to deforestation. These include many common household items like coffee, chocolate, wood, palm oil, soy and rubber, as well as certain types of beef, depending on how the cattle are farmed.
Any suspect products will soon have to go through intense screening procedures before they can be imported into the European Union, but the authors of the legislation believe it will make huge strides in improving the carbon footprint of member states.
According to an impact statement, the law could protect as many as 71,920 hectares of trees each year – that’s the equivalent of 100,000 football fields.
If businesses knowingly try to export items to the EU that are found to be linked to deforestation, they will face huge fines of up to 4% of their turnover. What’s more, exporters will be obliged to prove their products don’t come from land that has been deforested since December 2020.
Pascal Canfin, the chairman of the European Parliament's environment committee, said: "It's the coffee we have for breakfast, the chocolate we eat, the coal in our barbecues, the paper in our books."
While the news has been welcomed by environmentalists, several nations, including Brazil, Indonesia and Canada claim the regulations will damage trade with the EU, since the Parliament insists that the new law should not impact consumers in any way.
The agreement still has to be formally ratified by the European Council and the European Parliament but once it comes into effect early next year, companies will be given 18 months to comply. Smaller operators will have the slightly longer time of 24 months.
Image: Pixabay
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