The EU finally published its long overdue review of EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), but the news is not all good. Tropical deforestation is a global crisis threatening climate, biodiversity and the livelihood of indigenous communities. The world still lost 4.3 million hectares of tropical primary forest in 2025, equivalent to more than 11 football fields of forest per minute. And the crisis is accelerating with tropical primary forest loss 46% higher than a decade ago. (1)
In response the EU adopted its Deforestation Regulation in 2023, designed to ensure that specific products sold in or exported from the European Union do not contribute to global deforestation or forest degradation. It mandates that businesses prove their products were produced on land that has not been deforested since December 31, 2020. The products covered by the regulation are cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil rubber, soya, and wood.
But its implementation has been beset with delays and postponements, with the application dates now being set as December 30, 2026, for large and medium companies, and June 30, 2027, for most micro and small enterprises.
On Monday, May 4, 2026, the European Commission finally published a long-awaited simplification review of EUDR alongside a comprehensive package of implementation measures. Changes to the regulation have been proposed in the form of a draft Delegated Act that is open for public feedback until 1st June.
Whilst it is good news that EUDR is nearing application there is concern over the environmental impact of one proposed change, the removal of leather and cattle hides from the list of “in-scope” products. Extensive cattle ranching is the number one cause of deforestation in virtually every Amazon country, so the exclusion of leather from EUDR is a huge setback in tackling this global crisis.
Why has leather been excluded?
There is growing concern that the proposed changes come from lobby pressure on the EU via, in part, luxury leather goods manufacturers whose supply chains are linked to deforestation, including on land owned by Indigenous Peoples.
The continued use of leather to produce long-lasting, sustainable and high quality products, and the inclusion of leather in EUDR, is perfectly compatible for brands that put the future of our planet above short term gains. This is why EOCA and Swedish footwear brand Icebug have issued a joint statement on the proposal and will be submitting this to the EU calling for this damaging proposal to be dropped.
EOCA and Icebug oppose the exclusion of leather from the EUDR. Its exemption leaves no credible mandatory system to verify leather imported into Europe is deforestation-free. It places companies acting in the best interest of our planet at a competitive disadvantage compared to those supplying leather products linked to deforestation. And, it damages European consumers’ right to buy leather products without unknowingly contributing to biodiversity and climate crisis.
David Ekelund – Chief People Planet Profit Officer at Icebug:
“We’re still using leather in our products as for some type of footwear it’s unrivalled in longevity. We also acutely aware of the crisis with deforestation and bio-diversity loss and the link to the leather industry. Therefore we worked with traceability in a system called SPOOR and achieved 100% back to the farm already a few years back for our supply of nubuck hides. This means that the solution is in place, we just need the will to use it.
Unfortunately SPOOR was terminated last year for lack of interest from the industry. To us, this is conclusive evidence in showing that voluntary schemes are not enough as they risk putting the most responsible brands at a competitive disadvantage.
Accordingly we need regulators to level the playing field and therefore strongly oppose the exclusion of leather from the EUDR, as this leaves the field open for exploitation of nature.”
Dan Yates – Executive Director at EOCA:
“Tropical deforestation is one of the leading causing of the climate and nature crisis. Its effects range from damage to local ecosystems and human rights abuses to global impacts on climate. Cattle ranching is a leading cause of tropical deforestation with huge impacts to the Amazon rainforest in particular, and the exemption of leather from the EUDR is contrary the very purpose of the legislation to ensure European consumption is not driving deforestation.”
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