When consumption here leads to deforestation elsewhere
Since 2001, 95% of deforestation is caused by agriculture, of which one third results from international trade. This deforestation is taking place mostly in tropical countries, which supply major economic hubs in commercial circuits inherited from colonization.
In those destructions, Europe carries considerable weight, since it is responsible for 16% of this deforestation resulting from international trade. Relative to its population, it is by far the first region responsible for this imported deforestation.
Imported deforestation is the deforestation caused to support the living standards and the consumption of a country. Almost all of this imported deforestation in Europe stems from the usage of only seven raw materials : soy, palm oil, wood and wood derivatives, cacao, coffee, cattle (meat and leather) and rubber.
An innovative methodology
The Forest Footprint is a methodology implemented by Envol Vert since 2013 which allows to estimate the imported deforestation. This surface is calculated for a country, a company, a local authority or a product.
The Forest Footprint methodology has been improved since its creation to be more precise. After two years of work from a team of about 30 people (public actors, researchers, experts/consultants, public society, private sector), in 2023 a methodological proposal to evaluate our contribution to deforestation was published : France’s Referential Forest Footprint (REFF).
France’s Forest Footprint
is 1 837 487 hectares.
1.5 times Île-de-France’s surface area.. That is the deforested area for French imports since the deadlines implemented in several agricultural industries, i.e. the dates from which we take deforestation into account.
On average, this represents 1 football field destroyed every 3 minutes. . It is an alarming result, showcasing that deforestation is not just a legacy of the past but a crisis that plays out every year. The decisions taken today will determine whether, in ten years time, our Forest Footprint will have receded… Or whether our debt will have doubled.
We are inviting you to read our report to discover the entirety of the results as well as our recommendations to the political leaders, businesses, local authorities and citizens.
News
Peru facing the imported deforestation law
Pilot Project Coffee Traceability Zero Deforestation and Agroforestry in [...]
The average Forest Footprint of a Peruvian is 773 m² (about 1.5 futsal pitch)
Envol Vert launches the Forest Footprint of Peruvians, which [...]
The National Forestry Week in Peru
Presentation of the Peruvian Forest Footprint during the National [...]
Peruvians can calculate their Forest Footprint !
After France and Colombia, comes the Peruvian Forest Footprint [...]
Décideurs, Zéro Empreinte Forêt c’est maintenant ! Signez !
Le 14 novembre 2018, le gouvernement français s'est doté d'une Stratégie Nationale de lutte contre la Déforestation Importée (SNDI) qui vise à mettre fin d'ici 2030 à la déforestation causée par l'importation de produits forestiers ou agricoles. C'est un premier pas mais ça ne va pas assez loin. Nous, citoyens conscients et associations françaises lançons un appel aux décideurs publics et privés à travers une pétition et une tribune.