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Comment: Forests, footprints and the future

Forest-risk in packaging and man-made cellulosic fibres moved to the core of sourcing last week, when a group of apparel and lifestyle companies pledged to phase ancient and endangered forests out under a forest-protection initiative. The initiative estimates more than *.* billion trees are cut annually for packaging and *** million for cellulosic textiles, much from climate-critical forests.

That voluntary step lands in a policy climate moving the same way. European rules require EU members to introduce extended producer responsibility for textiles by April ****, with producer registers and eco-modulated fees under design, adding administrative complexity and cost. Last week, the European Parliament also backed a one-year delay and targeted simplification of the deforestation regulation (EUDR), with large operators due to comply from December **, ****, and smaller firms from June **, ****, easing the transition without softening expectations on land-use risk.