The UK Government has published a proposal of a legislation which prohibits larger businesses operating in the UK from using products grown on land that was deforested illegally.
The law will require companies to publish information showing where key commodities – including rubber, soil and palm oil – come from and that they are produced in line with local laws protecting forests. Fines will be defined for companies failing to carry out due diligence on their supply chains.
The aim is to protect rainforests by cleaning up the UK’s supply chains. Deforestation also accounts for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions.