UK revives anti-deforestation plan, puts coffee imports under scrutiny
Coffee is now in the UK’s deforestation crosshairs as new rules could force importers to prove beans are not tied to illegal forest loss.
The UK government moved to revive its dormant anti-deforestation push on June 23, putting coffee imports into a new compliance spotlight. Ministers will consult later this year on Great Britain deforestation policy proposals under the Environment Act 2021. Everyday products sold in the UK, including coffee and cocoa, should not contribute to illegal deforestation.
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimates put the country's 2024/25 green coffee imports at 2.4 million 60-kilogram bags, about 10% of U.S. green coffee imports. Importers, roasters and brands that source through Britain will face the new rules, especially if they depend on supplier paperwork that stops short of farm-level proof.
Mandatory due diligence would push companies to check origin claims more carefully, collect more geolocation data, deepen upstream auditing and keep better records on land use and supplier verification. Coffees with clean traceability and documented farm histories should stay easiest to keep moving. Lots that cannot be tied back to verifiable plots, or that travel through thinly documented trading chains, are more likely to face delays, relabeling pressure or extra cost.
The Environment Act 2021 created the framework for forest-risk commodity rules, while the UK Timber Regulation has required a mandatory due diligence system for timber since 2013. A December 2023 government statement laid out plans for deforestation-related legislation covering commodities such as palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather and soy, but the work stalled until this latest move. The government framed the new consultation as part of its COP26 pledge to stop and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Reuters linked Britain’s consumption of the covered goods in 2023 to about 29,000 hectares of deforestation worldwide and 9.4 million metric tons of related carbon emissions. Global Witness linked UK direct imports of cattle products, soy, oil palm, cocoa, coffee and rubber in 2024 to about 13,500 hectares of global deforestation, and put the UK’s total deforestation footprint tied to those imports at more than 39,300 hectares since the Environment Act passed in 2021.
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