Recent research from Trase highlights the continued impact of EU imports of agricultural commodities, particularly cocoa and palm oil, on global deforestation. The analysis reveals variations between countries regarding deforestation exposure and the specific products driving it as they gear up to implement the EUDR.
From December 30, 2024, EU member states will enforce the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), making it mandatory for companies to prove that imports of specific forest-risk commodities were not sourced from recently deforested areas.
Civil society group Fern commissioned Trase to assess each EU member state‘s deforestation exposure and create a summary factsheet that highlights its exposure to deforestation from imports of products included in the EUDR.
Trase analysis reveals that, between 2019 and 2021, EU imports were associated with 15.0% of the global deforestation linked to direct trade. The top countries of origin for EU exposure were Côte d’Ivoire (19.9%), Brazil (16.0%), Indonesia (11.6%), Ghana (8.7%) and Malaysia (4.7%), which together account for 61% of the EU’s total deforestation exposure.
The top commodities for EU exposure were cocoa (33.7%), oil palm products (19.3%), coffee (13.0%), soy (9.2%), and cattle products (8.9%), which together account for 84% of the EU total.
In recent years, there has been a significant decrease in EU deforestation exposure from EUDR commodities. The decrease amounts to a 35% drop between 2018 and 2021, even though the quantity of imported commodities remains high.
The reduction in exposure is attributed to a decline in deforestation associated with oil palm production in Indonesia. However, recent data indicates that deforestation rates are once again increasing.
Furthermore, when comparing the single-country fact sheets, it becomes apparent that there are differences in exposure to deforestation among EU countries, especially when considering direct trade as the primary import point.
For example, the Netherlands’ direct imports were linked to an average of 69,500 hectares of deforestation between 2019 and 2021, almost triple the amount associated with the next highest country, Spain (24,200 hectares).
