Status: Secondary Legislation Pending
PendingThe Environment Act received Royal Assent in November 2021, but Schedule 17 (forest risk commodities) requires secondary legislation to take effect. This is expected in 2025-2026. Smart businesses are building compliance infrastructure now to avoid last-minute scrambles.
£50M+ Turnover Threshold
The UK Environment Act applies to businesses with annual turnover of £50 million or more that use forest risk commodities in their UK commercial activities.
Large Businesses
UK-based companies with £50M+ annual turnover that use regulated forest risk commodities in their operations, manufacturing, or retail activities.
Overseas Businesses
International companies operating in the UK market that meet the turnover threshold and use forest risk commodities in products sold in the UK.
Supply Chain Partners
Exporters, processors, and traders supplying forest risk commodities to regulated UK businesses will need to provide traceability evidence and documentation.
Forest Risk Commodities
The Act targets commodities most associated with global deforestation. The Secretary of State can expand this list through secondary legislation.
Cocoa
Beans and derived products including butter, powder, and chocolate
Palm Oil
Crude and refined palm oil, kernel oil, and derivatives
Soy
Soybeans, soy meal, soy oil, and processed soy products
Beef & Leather
Cattle products including hides and processed leather goods
Rubber
Natural rubber and rubber-derived products
Coffee
Green and roasted coffee beans and extracts
Wood & Paper
Timber products, pulp, paper, and wood-based materials
What Regulated Businesses Must Do
Schedule 17 of the Environment Act establishes four core obligations for businesses using forest risk commodities.
Risk Assessment
Businesses must assess the risk that forest risk commodities in their supply chain were produced on illegally occupied or deforested land.
Due Diligence System
Establish and maintain a due diligence system to identify, assess, and mitigate the risk of forest risk commodities linked to illegal deforestation.
Annual Reporting
Regulated businesses must publish an annual report detailing their due diligence activities, risk findings, and mitigation steps taken.
Record Keeping
Maintain comprehensive records of supply chain mapping, risk assessments, and remediation actions for regulatory inspection.
Compliance Infrastructure for the UK Environment Act
OriginTrace provides the traceability, monitoring, and reporting tools needed to meet due diligence obligations under Schedule 17.
GPS Farm-Level Mapping
Capture and verify GPS polygon boundaries for every farm in your supply chain, providing geospatial evidence of origin for all forest risk commodities.
Deforestation Monitoring
Satellite-based deforestation alerts overlaid on farm polygons to detect land-use change and identify high-risk supply chain nodes before they become compliance issues.
Automated Risk Scoring
Real-time compliance scoring across traceability depth, documentation completeness, and deforestation risk for every batch and shipment.
Due Diligence Reporting
Generate audit-ready annual reports with full supply chain mapping, risk assessment summaries, and documented mitigation actions.
Full Chain Traceability
End-to-end traceability from farm to export, maintaining chain-of-custody through aggregation, processing, and transformation.
Multi-Regulation Alignment
Single traceability infrastructure that satisfies UK Environment Act, EUDR, and buyer-driven sustainability standards simultaneously.
Legislative Timeline
Secondary legislation is pending. Smart businesses are preparing now to avoid last-minute compliance scrambles.
Environment Act Enacted
The UK Environment Act 2021 received Royal Assent, introducing Schedule 17 on forest risk commodities.
Consultation Period
Defra consulted on secondary legislation to define regulated commodities, thresholds, and enforcement mechanisms.
Secondary Legislation Development
Drafting of statutory instruments to set the scope, reporting requirements, and penalties for non-compliance.
Secondary Legislation Enacted
Final regulations expected to come into force, establishing mandatory due diligence obligations for businesses above the turnover threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the UK Environment Act and forest risk commodity compliance.