EU Excludes Leather from Landmark Anti-Deforestation Law

The European Commission has excluded leather from its anti-deforestation law following advocacy by industry groups. The regulation, effective December, mandates proof that products like soy, coffee, and beef did not cause deforestation, while excluding leather due to its perceived lack of contribution to forest destruction.

The European Commission has announced a significant decision to exclude leather imports from its new anti-deforestation law, effective this December. This comes after substantial lobbying from industry groups, which argued that leather production does not encourage the cattle farming responsible for deforestation.

This exemption removes leather, hides, and skins from a pivotal regulation designed to ensure that commodities entering the European Union—such as soy, coffee, beef, and palm oil—do not originate from deforested land. The law is groundbreaking in its requirement for proof of sustainable origins.

The EU confirmed the exclusion in a statement, emphasizing that the primary cause of deforestation is the expansion of agricultural land for seven commodities, including cattle and soy, which remain covered under the regulation.