Global Coalition Tells Mondelez: Don’t Support EUDR Delay
The call from civil society comes as figures from the European Commission show more than a million hectares of forest have burned so far this year in Europe’s worst forest fires on record, with carbon emissions having tripled on last year’s figures
More than two dozen civil society groups from around the world are criticizing U.S. chocolate and snack giant Mondelēz for its recent call to delay the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a law that bans the import into the European Union of seven key commodities – including beef, soy, cocoa, rubber and palm oil – if they are linked to deforestation or forest degradation.
The letter comes as figures released by the European Commission, the lead political body for the EUDR, reveal that since the start of the year, 1,025,036 hectares of forest across Europe have been burnt, compared to 222,132 hectares in the same period in 2024. Additionally, 38.68 Mt of CO2 has been emitted since the beginning of the year, more than tripling the figure of 11.46 Mt for the same period last year.
“Mondelēz claims to still support the goals of the EUDR, but its recent actions are at odds with that statement,” the civil society coalition letter says. “Any further delay fundamentally threatens the regulation by postponing critical action and opening the entire regulatory framework for re-examination, debate, and further dilatory tactics.”
A Mondelēz spokesperson recently called for a further 12-month delay to implementation of the EUDR, which has already been postponed by 12 months and is currently scheduled to take effect on December 30 of this year.
Alex Armstrong, Vice President of External Affairs at Mighty Earth, said:
“Europe has just experienced the worst fires since records began, with more than a million hectares burned and carbon emissions having tripled last years’ figures. With the world’s forests falling fast to agricultural expansion and fueling global heating, it’s critical the EUDR is implemented on time.
Companies have used the two years since the legislation was passed to put in the time, work, and money to prepare for the law. Most stand ready to comply. EU policymakers cannot allow any further delay to the Regulation. This would serve only to reward the laggards and slackers – and imperil the entire legal mechanism. The time to act is now if Europe and the rest of the world is to avoid more horrific forest fires.”
Notes to editors:
- The EUDR was borne out of a lengthy process of scientific and economic evidence gathering, stakeholder consultations, and political negotiations. After an initial draft of the law was published by the Commission in December 2020, EU institutions took a further two years to agree on the final text, which was concluded in the December 2022 “Trialogue” between the Commission, European Parliament, and European Council (representing member states).
- The Regulation, which passed into law in June of 2023, mandates that products derived from beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy or wood must be “deforestation-free” and legally produced to be placed on the EU market.
- The legislation requires companies to geolocate the origin of the commodities in their goods, and to undertake due diligence to ensure that those products were not grown on land deforested after December 2020 cutoff date, or in illegal areas, such as inside national parks. It was due to be enforced from December 30, 2024, before the European Commission announced a 12-month delay in October 2024.
- A 2024 poll showed that an overwhelming majority of Europeans (82%) believe businesses should not sell products that destroy the world’s forests and support (81%) the law to ban products that drive deforestation.
- The letter to Mondelēz was signed by
- 237 Paroles (Cameroon)
- Agence conseil en communication de l’environnement (DRC)
- Be Slavery Free (Australia)
- BOS+ (Belgium)
- Canopée (France)
- Coffee Watch (International)
- Communauté et Développement Durable (CODED) (Cameroon)
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)(Germany)
- Earthsight (United Kingdom)
- EcoCare (Ghana)
- Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)
- Endangered Species Coalition (United States)
- Environmental Paper Network (United States)
- Fern (Belgium)
- Freedom United (International)
- Global Witness (International)
- Good Chocolate Hub (Germany)
- Green America (United States)
- Greenpeace (International)
- IDEF (Côte d’Ivoire)
- INKOTA-netzwerk (Germany)
- Mighty Earth (United States)
- Polish Ecological Club in Gliwice (Poland)
- Réseau des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Développement du Tonkpi (ROSCIDET) (Côte d’Ivoire)
- Verdens Skove (Denmark)
- ZERO – associação sistema terrestre sustentável (Portugal)
