On March 30, 2026, Human Rights Watch, environmental and Indigenous organizations sent a joint letter to the European Commission urging it not to exclude leather from the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The Deforestation-Free Products Regulation puts the onus on companies registered in EU member states to ensure that the wood, palm oil, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and cattle they import or export have not been produced on land that was deforested after December 31, 2020. The law requires companies to trace the commodities back to the plot of land where they were produced, or, in the case of cattle, the particular locations where the animals were raised.
The regulation also requires companies to ensure that these seven agricultural commodities are produced in conditions that comply with “relevant laws” in their country of origin. These include laws on land use rights; labor rights; human rights protected under international law; free, prior, and informed consent, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and anti-corruption laws.
While the law’s implementation has been twice postponed, it is due to start being enforced in 2027. The Commission is due to propose revisions to its implementing mechanisms in April 2026.
As the Commission moves toward the implementation phase of this landmark legislation, it is imperative that the product scope remains grounded in scientific data and environmental impact rather than subject to exemptions granted in apparent response to industry lobbying.
Arbitrarily removing leather from the EUDR would lead to significant policy incoherence: the meat from a cow raised on deforested land would be prohibited, while the skin of that same animal could be sold freely in the single market.
Research by Human Rights Watch and many other organizations shows that leather imported into the EU market has been linked to illegal deforestation, human rights abuses and fraud. Businesses in the EU should be required to conduct due diligence to address these risks, as foreseen by EUDR implementation.
The letter is available in English and Portuguese.
