Deforestation is an environmental issue that has been ‘hot’ for years, yet treated with cold indifference by governments, multinational corporations and international institutions for far too long. At MOYU, we believe that every action, no matter how small, plays a critical role in the fight against deforestation. Nevertheless, holding major contributors to this issue accountable, as well as counting on them to cooperate with us in our mission, won’t happen overnight and without significant efforts and changes in the way the system works. That’s why we are thrilled with the ban on deforestation-linked goods, as it is a step in the right direction towards a greener future.
The new ban in a nutshell
In December 2022, the European Union took a significant step forward, setting a historic precedent for the decades to come. A preliminary deal has been made with EU governments to ban the importation of goods linked to deforestation, aimed at countering climate change and biodiversity loss. Companies now have to check and issue a "due diligence statement" saying that their products did not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation anywhere in the world (after 31st of December 2020) before they can sell them in the EU. Companies must also prove to be compliant with domestic legislation linked to respecting relevant human rights and indigenous rights.
From 1990 to 2020 the world has lost 420 million hectares of forest, an area bigger than the European Union itself, with 10% of the world's deforestation being attributed to EU consumption. Marian Jureka, the Czech Republic's environment minister, stated that "the EU is a significant user and trader of commodities that play a significant part in deforestation." To plug the pieces into the bigger global puzzle, the EU is the largest importer of deforestation, after China. According to a WWF report, between 2005 and 2017, the commodities with the most entrenched tropical deforestation imported into the EU were soy, palm oil, and cattle, followed by wood products, cocoa, and coffee. With the exception of wood, all of these commodities are covered under the new law. Once in effect, this ban will significantly reduce the EU’s global impact on deforestation.
Implications for the global economy and hope for the future
Through this landmark agreement, the EU can lead the way for setting a new global standard for the production of goods made of wood. The ban, which will be applied to a wide range of commodities, is not limited to EU member states, pressuring non-EU producers to follow the legislation to keep their shares in the European market. It will take several years before the actual effects of this ban are reflected in our supply chains, but the message of today is loud and clear: our governments are waking up and taking action in the fight against deforestation. If producers around the globe do not shift towards practices that are more mindful of the planet, they will have to become more mindful of their wallets.
“The future will be green or not at all.” - Jonathon Porritt
MOYU efforts to fight against deforestation
More than ever, we are motivated to continue hacking away at singleuse paper and inspire people around the world to change their writing habits. Our notebook is made from stone paper and requires a grand total of 0 plant trees as raw material, eliminating the need to cut down trees. The production process of stone paper also uses significantly less energy compared to traditional paper production, with the use of solar power.
And it doesn’t end there. We are really proud to plant a tree per notebook sold through our partnership with the Trees for Kenya organization! They plant and manage trees where they are most needed. Pretty cool, right? Well…MOYU is the feel-good, do-good notebook after all.
We are making our efforts into reforesting the planet, one stone paper notebook at a time.