In response to the UK government’s announcement that it will ban the use of products associated with deforestation and require companies to undertake checks to ensure their supply chains are not linked to forest destruction, Jo Blackman, Head of Forests Advocacy and Policy at Global Witness, said:
“While we welcome the UK government’s commitment to introduce legislation to tackle the UK’s role in global deforestation, the government’s proposals do not go far enough. Their proposed law is in danger of continuing some of the most damaging deforestation, just because it is deemed ‘legal’ in domestic laws. Crucially, it also turns a blind eye to the money pipeline funding forest destruction by excluding the finance sector.
On both these points the UK government is running contrary to the recommendations of its own Global Resource Initiative taskforce which earlier this year recommended the introduction of a due diligence obligation covering all deforestation for finance as well as other businesses.”
/ENDS