Keep our products deforestation-free!
Tropical rainforests are under pressure worldwide. In the last thirty years, 420 million hectares of forest have been cut down - an area the size of the European Union. Every minute, another 11 football pitches of primary rainforest disappear. Agricultural monocultures such as palm oil, soya and timber plantations as well as livestock farming are responsible for 90% of the destruction of the rainforest. Switzerland benefits directly from raw materials and products that originate from imported deforestation.
The central role of forests for biodiversity, the climate and the lives of a third of the world's population is recognised worldwide. In Glasgow, the heads of state and government of 145 countries committed themselves to halting the loss of forests by the end of 2030. Instead of continuously reducing the loss of primary forests to achieve this
to achieve this goal, the trend is heading in the wrong direction. While the EU is getting serious with a regulation for deforestation-free supply chains, Switzerland is not taking its responsibility seriously.
With this petition, the Bruno Manser Fund is therefore calling for a corresponding ordinance for Switzerland that bans the import of products that are responsible for ongoing deforestation.
Sign the petition now!
*The petition is co-supported by the Society for Threatened Peoples, Heks, Public Eye, Solifonds, Solidar Suisse and Pro Natura.
What is the EUDR?
The Regulation on Deforestation Free Products (EUDR) has been in force in the EU since June 2023. The obligations will apply to non-SMEs from 30 December 2024 and to SMEs from 30 June 2025. Specifically, raw materials and products
that are imported into or exported from the EU must not be associated with deforestation. This includes palm oil, soya, cocoa, coffee, beef, rubber and wood.
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What is the situation in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, there is no regulation corresponding to the EUDR, although the WWF already disclosed the extent of deforestation imported by Switzerland in 2020. For example, the Swiss import of wood, pulp and paper alone requires 1.5 million hectares of land every year, an area that exceeds Switzerland's entire forest area.
Without appropriate regulation, Switzerland not only runs the risk of losing orders, but also damages its reputation in particular. It would be easy for the Federal Council to issue an ordinance corresponding to the EUDR on the basis of Art. 35e para. 3 USG. With this petition, we are therefore calling on the Federal Council to act promptly and ban the import of deforestation products in Switzerland as well.