Press release: Use the Sustainability Framework to ‘tick all boxes’ in the new EU deforestation regulation

With the proposal for a new regulation on agricultural products linked to deforestation, the EU is significantly expanding the scope of its sustainable policies.

To help our clients prepare for the new requirements, our experts have aligned the Sustainability Framework, so that all issues in the EU proposal can be easily identified.

“The proposal is quite far reaching and will surely put businesses to the test. However, with the right tool, it might not be such a daunting task. The Sustainability Framework was designed to cover all core areas of sustainability. It still does, but we have highlighted the requirements relevant for the proposed new EU legislation and aligned them with the draft regulation,” said Hando Hain, director of Strategy and Innovation.

The extra mile

The EU-aligned version of the Sustainability Framework includes a total of 25 criteria and related indicators, developed by Preferred by Nature’s auditors and sustainability experts. It can be used both as a benchmark for full sustainability, as well as to meet the EU regulation.

“The Sustainability Framework is a multi-tool for ensuring sustainability. If organisations wish to go the extra mile, they can use the full framework. This will also entitle them to use the hummingbird seal on their products,” said Hando Hain.

Despite setting the bar higher than perhaps expected, the proposed EU regulation does not include all sustainability factors. These are however covered in the full Sustainability Framework. In addition, Preferred by Nature will adapt it to selected commodities, benchmarking it with relevant certification schemes and conducting country and commodity specific risk assessments based on it.

Learn more about the Sustainability Framework here

Download the revised version of the Sustainability Framework here