ecoDa: Deforestation Regulation: What’s at Stake for Board Members?

Most board members tend to focus primarily on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, but they don't pay much attention to the Deforestation Regulation.

The Deforestation Regulation, adopted in 2023, establishes rules to ensure that products derived from certain commodities (namely coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, cattle, rubber, and wood), placed on the EU market or exported from the EU, have not caused deforestation or forest degradation during their production. These products must also be produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production and be covered by a due diligence statement.

The Council and the Parliament have agreed to the Commission’s proposal to postpone the application date of the Regulation by one year. However, the inclusion of no-risk countries by the European Parliament will relaunch the discussion among the three European institutions.

Some companies are speaking up to request legal "stability and clarity."

During our webinar, organized by ecoDa and AO Shearman, our speakers will address what the Deforestation Regulation and its implementation mean for board members. They will also discuss how the Deforestation Regulation intersects with the EU Green Deal's legal maze.