Sustainable timber and deforestation

Environmental Audit Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 25 Jul 2022 Closed: 9 May 2024 Parliament page
The Environmental Audit Committee is launching a new inquiry into sustainable timber in the UK and the UK’s contribution to global deforestation. The inquiry will investigate how the UK, which imports most of its timber, can best scale up a sustainable, resilient domestic timber sector and reduce its reliance on … Read more
49 Recommendations
50 Conclusions
2 Reports
6 Oral sessions
5 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 21 events
9 May
2024
Correspondence
26 Mar
2024
Report published
4 Jan
2024
Report published
15 Dec
2023
Report published
19 Jul
2023
Report published
13 Jun
2023
Correspondence
13 Jun
2023
Correspondence
5 Jun
2023
Correspondence
27 Apr
2023
Correspondence
29 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
29 Mar
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
1 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
29 Mar 2023
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panel one; panel two
Maggie Charnley · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Sir William Worsley · Forestry Commission The Rt Hon. the Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Trudy Harrison · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
1 Mar 2023
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panel one; panel two
Andrew Howard · Schroders Danielle Carreira · Tropical Forest Alliance, World Economic Forum Dr Constance McDermott · University of Oxford Duncan Brack · n/a Helen Bellfield · Global Canopy Ligia Baracat · Forest Peoples Programme
7 Dec 2022
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panel one; panel two
Ben Goh · Maelor Forest Nurseries David Hopkins · Timber Development UK Dr Andrew Weatherall · Institute of Chartered Foresters Dr Mike Morecroft · Natural England Graham Clark · Country Land and Business Association Justin Mumford · Institute of Chartered Foresters Professor David Coomes · University of Cambridge
9 Nov 2022
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panel one
Alexandria Reid · Global Witness Dr Chris West · Stockholm Environment Institute York Michael Rice · Client Earth Sir Ian Cheshire · Channel 4
2 Nov 2022
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Panel 1
Dr Alan Knight · Drax Group Professor Michael Norton · European Academies Science Advisory Council Professor Patricia Thornley · Aston University
26 Oct 2022
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Panel 1; Panel 2
Andrew Carpenter · Structural Timber Association Dr Alan Knight · Drax Group Ian Tubby · Forestry Commission Nick Phillips · Woodland Trust Professor Michael Norton · European Academies Science Advisory Council Professor Patricia Thornley · Aston University Stuart Goodall · Confederation of Forest Industries UK
Recommendations & Conclusions
16 results
Clear
5 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Continue to fund development of a monitoring, measurement and reporting framework for UK consumption.
To ensure that the UK can measure and track progress, we recommend that the Government should continue to fund the development of a monitoring, measurement and reporting framework for UK consumption.
Government Response
The government did not commit to funding the development of a monitoring, measurement, and reporting framework for UK consumption, instead stating it is not currently considering widening the scope of Government Buying Standards (GBS) and detailing an ongoing consultation to update the GBS for food and catering.
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6 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Promote international and domestic data disclosure to improve monitoring of forest risks globally.
We recommend that the Government use its influence in all relevant forums to promote international data disclosure (and domestic disclosure of UK customs and industrial data) so as to improve the monitoring of forest risks in the UK and globally.
Government Response
The government's response focuses on existing and reviewed Government Buying Standards for food and catering, including current requirements for palm oil and coffee, and future consideration of forest-risk commodities within these procurement standards, rather than addressing the recommendation to promote broader international and domestic data disclosure.
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7 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Illegal mining increasingly drives deforestation; FCDO programmes expand to address this.
Illegal mining is increasingly recognised as a driver of deforestation in some regions. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that its programmes addressing deforestation are to be expanded to cover a wider range of forest risk commodities, beyond … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focuses solely on existing United Kingdom Timber Regulations (UKTR) and FLEGT Regulations, and plans to review the Timber Regulations in 2024, completely omitting any mention of mining as a driver of deforestation, which was the focus of the committee's conclusion.
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8 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Develop UK consumption monitoring to incorporate mined products, addressing mining-related deforestation impacts.
We recommend that UK consumption monitoring be developed to incorporate the monitoring of mined products, so as to support the Government’s programmes addressing the impact of mining-related deforestation.
Government Response
The government response outlines general processes for new regulations, including grace periods, reporting requirements, and exemptions for organisations, but does not specifically address the recommendation to develop UK consumption monitoring for mined products.
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10 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Mandate Government Buying Standards for all large public sector bodies and annual compliance reporting.
We recommend that each Government Buying Standard be made mandatory for all large public sector bodies, including the NHS, the Armed Forces and HM Prison Service, as it currently is for UK Government departments and their partner organisations. Annual reporting … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation regarding making Government Buying Standards mandatory and requiring annual compliance reporting for public sector bodies, instead detailing its existing and developing supply-side interventions and international funding programmes aimed at sustainable forest risk commodity supply chains.
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11 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Require full departmental reporting on Greening Government Commitments and publish 2021-22 data.
Sustainable government procurement presents a pathway to increasing the sustainability of supply chains. Government performance against existing sustainable procurement policies has been unimpressive to date. The 2020–21 Greening Government Commitments report indicated that ten departments had submitted information about their … Read more
Government Response
The government response entirely diverts from the recommendation to require full and published reporting against Greening Government Commitments, instead detailing consultation feedback on the number of forest risk commodities for due diligence legislation and deforestation footprint statistics.
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12 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Opportunity exists to strengthen sustainable procurement by learning from timber and palm oil.
There is an opportunity to learn from the experience of timber and palm oil procurement, and to strengthen and extend these approaches.
Government Response
The government response focuses on recognising and supporting the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) through due diligence legislation and FCDO programmes, rather than addressing the recommendation to learn from and extend approaches used in timber and palm oil procurement.
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16 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Expedite implementation of Schedule 17 to meet global deforestation commitments by 2030.
The Government’s consultation on proposals for Schedule 17 implementation ended in March 2022, but secondary legislation has not yet been brought forward and the Government has not yet committed to a date by which it can be expected. While we … Read more
Government Response
The government detailed its commitment to invest at least £1.5 billion in UK International Climate Finance for forest protection and restoration by March 2026, and announced £576 million in new forests programming, but did not address the delay in bringing forward secondary legislation for Schedule 17.
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17 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Publish proposed regulations urgently and clear timetable for affirmative procedure legislation.
We recommend that the Government publish its proposed suite of regulations as a matter of urgency. Where regulations are to be subject to the affirmative procedure, Ministers must publish a clear timetable for drafts to be laid, approved by both … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed with the committee regarding the IPLC Forest Tenure Pledge and detailed existing and new Official Development Assistance (ODA) programs to strengthen IPLC forest tenure rights and capacity, but did not commit to publishing regulations or a timetable for Schedule 17.
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18 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Schedule 17 due diligence system insufficient due to exclusion of legal deforestation.
The due diligence system established under Schedule 17 will prohibit the use of illegally produced commodities with reference to compliance with local laws. This means that products of legal deforestation will not be within the scope of the system, unlike … Read more
Government Response
The government stated the FCDO is developing a business case for a follow-on 10-year forest governance programme that will have a broader remit, looking beyond timber to illegal deforestation, but did not commit to amending Schedule 17 to include legal deforestation.
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19 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Prohibit UK businesses from trading or using commodities linked to UN FAO-defined deforestation, regardless of local legality.
We recommend that, in order to increase the sustainable use of forest-risk commodities, the Government should bring forward amendments to paragraph 2 of Schedule 17 to the Environment Act so as to prohibit UK businesses from trading or using commodities … Read more
Government Response
The government stated the FLEGT Post Implementation Review (PIR) will be published shortly and shared, with further analysis of lessons learned to be conducted, but did not commit to amending Schedule 17 to prohibit commodities linked to deforestation regardless of local legality.
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21 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Phased introduction of forest-risk commodities lacks urgency and excludes key supply chain items.
A phased introduction of forest risk commodities misses the opportunity to set early and clear expectations that deforestation is not welcome in any UK supply chains. While the Government’s announcement that four major commodities will be brought within initial scope … Read more
Government Response
The government affirmed its commitment to upholding high environmental standards in trade agreements, its ambition to protect the environment, and its involvement in international initiatives like the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration and the FACT Dialogue, but did not address the recommendation to include more forest-risk commodities in Schedule 17 without a phased approach.
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22 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Include all material UK deforestation footprint commodities in due diligence legislation from the outset.
We recommend that the Government’s proposals for due diligence legislation should include from the outset all forest risk commodities associated with a material UK deforestation footprint (soy, palm oil, cocoa, maize, beef and leather, rubber and coffee) rather than taking … Read more
Government Response
The government stated that Impact Assessments for new Free Trade Agreements have included environmental impact estimates and that research has been undertaken on assessing net gain in trade, but did not address the recommendation to include all forest-risk commodities in due diligence legislation from the outset or provide the requested evidential basis.
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26 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Address indigenous peoples' land rights support in statutory evaluation of due diligence system.
We recommend that the statutory evaluation of the Schedule 17 due diligence system address expressly whether the due diligence system has effectively supported the human rights of indigenous peoples to land, territories and resources.
Government Response
The government states that statutory reviews of Schedule 17 will primarily focus on reducing deforestation but acknowledges the importance of indigenous peoples' role. It is currently exploring how to address the recommendation regarding human rights within the independent evaluation of the scheme.
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27 Conclusion Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
UK financial sector contributes to deforestation, impeding net zero commitments.
The UK financial sector is a direct and indirect contributor to financing deforestation. Financial institutions cannot meet their deforestation policies or their net zero commitments without also addressing their exposure to deforestation through the companies they finance. Read more
Government Response
The government states that guidance on applying the Schedule 17 regime to the financial sector will be published with secondary legislation, and HM Treasury will conduct a review to assess the adequacy of current regulations in eliminating illegal deforestation financing.
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29 Recommendation Deferred
Fourth Report - The UK's contribut…
Introduce legislation to bring UK financial sector businesses under the Schedule 17 regime.
We recommend that the Government bring forward legislation to bring businesses in the UK financial sector within the scope of the Schedule 17 regime.
Government Response
The government will publish guidance on Schedule 17's application to the financial sector when secondary legislation is laid, and HM Treasury will conduct a review to assess the adequacy of current regulation and consider future changes to eliminate illegal deforestation financing.
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Government Response AI assessment · 99 of 49 classified
Accepted 43
Accepted in Part 10
Acknowledged 23
Deferred 16
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 3
Total 49 recs + 50 conclusions
Correspondence 5 letters
9 May 2024 To committee Letter from the EAC Chair to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, relating to the Government's response to the EAC report on 'The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation', dated 8 May 2024
Parliament page
13 Jun 2023 To committee Letter from the Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Energy, Climate and the Environment, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, relating to the 'Status of UK International Climate Finance (ICF) International Forests Provision', dated 30 May 2023
Parliament page
13 Jun 2023 To committee Letter from the Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use, Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, relating to the 'Sustainable timber and deforestation' inquiry, dated 1 June 2023
Parliament page
5 Jun 2023 To committee Letter from the Chairman of the Forestry Commission, relating to the Sustainable timber and deforestation inquiry, dated 11 April 2023
Parliament page
27 Apr 2023 To committee Letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Natural Environment and Land Use) at DEFRA, relating to the 'Sustainable timber and deforestation' evidence session of 29 March 2023, dated 17 April 2023
Parliament page