This destruction is a lot closer to home than we think. It’s in our homes. 

Forest land is frequently cleared or degraded to make way for crops like palm oil and soy, which are exported to the EU and found in many products on our supermarket shelves: beef, palm oil, wood products, rubber, maize, cocoa and coffee. The most recent data indicates that the EU is responsible for at least 10% of forest destruction worldwide.

Without strict rules to make sure such products are sustainable, the EU is contributing to the loss of the world’s rainforests, savannahs and wetlands. 

What is WWF doing?

In order to put a stop to this destruction, two years ago we launched the #Together4Forests campaign. After 1.2 million citizens asked for a law that would keep deforestation off EU tables, the European Commission proposed a new EU deforestation law which would require all products placed on the EU market to be genuinely sustainable (i.e. free from deforestation and forest degradation) in addition to being legal by the producing country’s standards. These should also be traceable to their place of origin, and when it comes to enforcing the law across the EU, fines must be proportional to the environmental damage caused and its value. However, the proposed law contains loopholes which lower the EU’s big chance to keep nature destruction off the market. 

 

To further support citizens' demands, in March 2022 we launched a new research which shows that the average European consumes 60.6 kg of soy per year, contributing unknowingly to the destruction of precious natural ecosystems in South America. Because soy is the main animal feed used to produce our food: in the case of chicken and salmon, the amount of soy animal feed used is almost equal to that of the food produced. These examples and more are showcased in WWF’s virtual ‘hidden soy’ fridge.

Later on, as environment ministers prepared to discuss their position on the new  EU deforestation law on 17 March, 53,000+ people across Europe sent them letters and, to amplify their voices,  we unveiled the “Together for Forests” mural. The 24 meter tall piece of street art brings iconic wildlife closer to the European quarter in Brussels. Meanwhile, we also asked scientists and experts from across the EU to answer the Internet’s most searched questions on deforestation, in a series of short videos.  

Over the summer of 2022, over 200,000 citizens sent personalised messages and memes to Members of the European Parliament urging them to protect forests and people's rights. On 13 September, the European Parliament voted in plenary for a strong EU Deforestation law. 

They agreed on including “other wooded land” in addition to forests, a higher number of checks on products, clearer definitions for important terms such as “forest degradation” and an enlarged product scope covering more than beef, soy, palm oil, rubber, timber, cacao and coffee. 

In the next few months, the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council will negotiate the final text of the EU Deforestation law, so that only nature destruction-free products are found in our shops and on our tables.