{"id":3854,"date":"2026-04-14T20:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3854"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T14:30:14","slug":"eudr-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3854","title":{"rendered":"EUDR is starting to steer company actions, despite slow progress: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-317553\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>Although more progress is needed, a growing number of companies are adopting and implementing deforestation commitments ahead of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) taking effect in December, according to a new report analyzing public data on 500 companies exposed to deforestation in their supply chains.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Global Canopy\u2019s newest Forest 500 Report found that 14% of companies mentioned the EUDR in deforestation commitments and more than 25% reported new implementation actions in 2025. The number of companies with traceability mechanisms also increased.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The report also found that 24 companies have never published deforestation commitments and that 14 backtracked on previous commitments in 2025.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The legal uncertainty surrounding the EUDR and its implementation disincentivizes companies from adopting systems for due diligence on deforestation, experts say.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"content-expander\"><span>See All Key Ideas<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some companies have made headway toward removing deforestation from their supply chains in the last year, in preparation for the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a new report by the NGO Global Canopy. This shows that the upcoming regulation is driving some progress despite an unfavorable global climate for environmental commitments.<\/p>\n<p>The <u><a href=\"https:\/\/forest500.org\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Forest 500 Report 2026<\/a><\/u> examined the corporate commitments on deforestation, land conversion and human rights of the 500 companies with most influence over nine commodities linked to deforestation and covered by the EUDR: beef, cocoa, coffee, leather, palm, pulp and paper, rubber, soy and timber. It found that more than a quarter of companies reported new forms of implementation action in 2025, and 14% specifically mentioned the EUDR in documents about deforestation commitments. Forest 500 is based on public documents, and more companies could be making decisions based on the EUDR in private, the report notes.<\/p>\n<p>The EUDR is due to take effect Dec. 30 this year after several delays.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe EUDR is the main focus of this report. The key takeaway is that it\u2019s working, it\u2019s appearing in lots of company reporting, with 68 companies in our assessment citing it in regard to deforestation commitments, especially with traceability,\u201d said Chloe Rollscane, a research associate at Global Canopy. \u201cEven though [the EUDR] is not in place yet, it\u2019s obvious that companies are getting ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These companies include producers and processors in source countries, as well as traders and retailers in the EU, Rollscane told Mongabay in a video interview.<\/p>\n<p>One example in the report is Peruvian coffee company Corporaci\u00f3n Perhusa, which said its coffee plots meet EUDR requirements based on analysis of official deforestation maps. Another is restaurant chain Domino\u2019s Pizza, which stated it aimed to make its European operations EUDR-compliant by the end of 2025. Domino\u2019s did not reply to an email from Mongabay about whether this had been achieved.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317556\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Source: Forest 500 report 2026. Graph courtesy of Global Canopy.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Forest 500 also found that traceability for all commodities except beef increased in 2025, with 23% of upstream companies and 14% of downstream companies reporting traceability mechanisms. The EUDR requires companies to be able to trace a commodity to where it was produced, to guarantee it is not linked to deforestation after 2020.<\/p>\n<h3>More progress needed<\/h3>\n<p>Despite these signs of progress, corporate efforts on deforestation remain insufficient.<\/p>\n<p>Just 29% of the 500 companies had commitments to address deforestation for all the commodities they produce or source. Only 120 companies reported that more than half of their volumes were deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) for at least one commodity. Reporting DCF volumes is a measure of how successful deforestation commitments are. Companies in rubber, leather and coffee performed the worst, with none or very few reporting more than 50% DCF volumes.<\/p>\n<p>A mere 19 companies are considered \u201cleaders,\u201d with strong implementation as well as comprehensive commitments.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a group of 24 \u201cpersistent laggards\u201d have never published deforestation commitments. This could expose them to legal action, reputational risks and reduced access to capital, the report notes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_296949\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-296949 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg\" alt=\"Dehusked and dried coffee beans at a farm in Cauca, southwestern Colombia. From the Two Degrees Up series of case studies on the effect of climate change on agriculture. Image by Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/02135912\/5244282683_ecfa7c2b7c_k-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/02135912\/5244282683_ecfa7c2b7c_k-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/02135912\/5244282683_ecfa7c2b7c_k-1200x797.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/02135912\/5244282683_ecfa7c2b7c_k-610x405.jpg 610w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/04\/02135912\/5244282683_ecfa7c2b7c_k-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Dehusked and dried coffee beans at a farm in Cauca, southwestern Colombia. Coffee is one of the seven commodities covered by the EUDR. Image by Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Factors such as how much a country or industry engaged with deforestation prior to the EUDR can affect companies\u2019 preparedness, said Tina Schneider, director for forest governance and policy at the World Resources Institute. Corporate compliance is easier in countries where governments are implementing their own traceability systems for certain commodities, she said, citing <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/11\/as-ghana-ships-first-gold-standard-timber-to-eu-questions-about-flegts-future-remain-commentary\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Ghana\u2019s wood<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sustainable-supply-chains.org\/news\/from-pilot-to-national-rollout-ghanas-cocoa-traceability-system\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">cocoa tracking systems<\/a> as examples. \u201cIt\u2019s not always perfect but the fact that there is one coordinated way forward is easier,\u201d Schneider told Mongabay.<\/p>\n<p>Forest 500 also identified 14 companies that backtracked on deforestation efforts in 2025, by removing commitments or withdrawing from certification schemes. Brazilian meatpacker Minerva is one of them, after changing the wording of its commitments in a CDP report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdp.net\/en\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">a voluntary reporting framework<\/a>, to focus on illegal deforestation only. Brazilian law permits a certain level of legal deforestation, but the EUDR prohibits any deforestation. Minerva told Mongabay in a statement that it had not backtracked on commitments, as it stands by the public objective first made in its 2021 sustainability commitment to remove illegal deforestation from its supply chain by 2030. Minerva added that it is well-positioned to meet EUDR requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Another is U.S. sportswear brand Nike, which is exposed to deforestation through pulp and paper for its shoeboxes. Nike has rolled back a 2024 commitment to protecting priority forests and sourcing FSC-certified packaging, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Rollscane noted that there have been <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/10\/fsc-to-vote-on-new-traceability-rules-amid-fraud-allegations\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">allegations of fraud surrounding FSC<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest green timber label, but there is no way of knowing what prompted Nike\u2019s rollback. \u201cBest practice would be for Nike to publicly say why that is,\u201d she said. Nike did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<h3>Leather highlights EUDR importance<\/h3>\n<p>The Forest 500 report flagged some progress on tracing supply chains by companies exposed to leather, arguing that they \u201ccould readily comply,\u201d even as the leather industry is in the spotlight over reports that it is successfully lobbying the European Commission to exclude the commodity from the EUDR\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthsight.org.uk\/news\/leather-eudr-lobbying\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Recent analysis by the NGO Earthsight<\/a> found that seven out of the 10 Brazilian states with the most tree cover loss between 2020 and 2024 accounted for nearly a fifth of Brazil\u2019s leather exports to the EU in 2024 and 2025. \u201cDespite this and a mountain of other evidence by other NGOs and investigations, the industry still argues that there is no link to deforestation,\u201d said Miki Ng, a researcher at Earthsight.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_281459\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-281459 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776436212_394_EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg\" alt=\"Aerial view showing cattle confinement in the Brazilian Amazon, one of the ecosystems affected by illegal deforestation. Image courtesy of Fernando Martinho\/Goldman Environmental Prize.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776436212_394_EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/04\/26193914\/03_amazon_cattle_confinement_fernando_martinho-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/04\/26193914\/03_amazon_cattle_confinement_fernando_martinho-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Aerial view showing cattle confinement in the Brazilian Amazon, one of the ecosystems affected by illegal deforestation. Image courtesy of Fernando Martinho\/Goldman Environmental Prize.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Yet there is demand for sustainable leather from consumer brands, she said. \u201cYou have big brands from the fashion industry, the automotive industry, who\u2019ve said they want to source deforestation-free leather by 2030,\u201d Ng told Mongabay in a video interview. \u201cThe EUDR is kind of moving that along,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Forest 500 data echo this, citing Spanish clothing company Inditex (which owns Zara), German sports shoe brand Puma, French luxury goods company Kering (owner of Gucci and Saint Laurent) and car firms BMW Group and Volkswagen Group, among others, as improving traceability on leather.<\/p>\n<h3>EUDR delays undermine changes<\/h3>\n<p>Experts warn that the multiple delays and talks of changes to the EUDR are a disincentive to companies, even as some are taking steps on deforestation ahead of the legislation coming into force.<\/p>\n<p>Schneider said the \u201cconstantly shifting legal landscape\u201d makes it harder for companies to make decisions on setting up and implementing their due diligence systems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEfforts have been made by companies and countries to prepare for the law, and every time the law gets reopened or postponed, it doesn\u2019t create more legal certainty, it actually increases costs,\u201d Ng said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe EUDR should be put into practice so that people can test out those systems, see if they work and then improve them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_264189\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-264189 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776436212_436_EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg\" alt=\"Deforestation is advancing across the Brazilian Amazon, as rainforest gives way to cattle pastures, soy plantations and illegal mines. Photo by Ana Ionova for Mongabay.\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776436212_436_EUDR-is-starting-to-steer-company-actions-despite-slow-progress.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/28212518\/Ionova_Brazil_Apyterewa_44-610x407.jpg 610w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/28212518\/Ionova_Brazil_Apyterewa_44-350x233.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Deforestation is advancing across the Brazilian Amazon, as rainforest gives way to cattle pastures, soy plantations and illegal mines. Photo by Ana Ionova for Mongabay.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although the majority is still lacking, a few companies in the Forest 500 report show that it is possible to trace commodities across complex supply chains and guarantee DCF volumes without this affecting a company\u2019s bottom line, Rollscane said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNestl\u00e9 is a really good example of a company that has a complicated supply chain , they are exposed to many commodities, but they are managing to implement a lot of what \u2026 aligns with best practice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/sustainability\/nature-environment\/forests\/deforestation-supply-chains\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">On its website<\/a>, Nestl\u00e9 says 96.7% of its primary supply chains for meat, palm oil, pulp and paper, soy, sugar, cocoa and coffee were deforestation-free at the end of 2025, a result based on a combination of satellite monitoring, on-the-ground assessments through partners and certifications and sourcing of volumes traced to low-risk regions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt can be done and it\u2019s proven it can be done,\u201d Rollscane said.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Banner image<\/strong>: Cattle graze on land recently burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil. The cattle industry in Brazil is a major driver of destruction of the Amazon rainforest, a fact documented by the World Bank and numerous academic studies. (AP Photo\/Andre Penner, File)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>FEEDBACK: <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSc1UErpNSJhNbg2RpCnwRp5xJDRjjgreKOG2J2cGaxtb9IaBQ\/viewform\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"> Use this form<\/a> to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div class=\"container in-column about-editor-translator gap--40 pv--80\">\n<div class=\"container grid--3 repeat gap--40\">\n<div class=\"in-row gap--16\">\n<div class=\"author-avatar\">\n                    <img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Indigenous-governance-key-to-protecting-Amazon-Basin-connectivity-experts-say.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ddc11ab3173ab5e21a8b9ce7c4f11c7fc908bb2b47d47eaf0789863708a3588?s=64&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-32 photo\" height=\"32\" width=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>                            <span class=\"article-comments\"><a href=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"\/><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although more progress is needed, a growing number of companies are adopting and implementing deforestation commitments ahead of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) taking effect in December, according to a new report analyzing public data on 500 companies exposed to deforestation in their supply chains. Global Canopy\u2019s newest Forest 500 Report found that 14% [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[844,845,48,428,431,846,708,847,848,849,850,851,532],"class_list":["post-3854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-biodiversity","tag-cattle","tag-commodity","tag-conservation","tag-deforestation","tag-forest-loss","tag-illegal-logging","tag-law","tag-law-enforcement","tag-leather","tag-palm-oil","tag-soy","tag-supply-chain","tag-tropical-deforestation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3856,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3854\/revisions\/3856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}