US paper industry spends millions lobbying against EU's deforestation law
The American Forest & Paper Association has spent nearly $11 million since 2023 trying to weaken the EU's anti-deforestation rules — but Brussels held firm in its latest update.
The EU's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires companies selling wood and paper products in Europe to prove their goods didn't come from recently deforested or degraded land, has drawn heavy lobbying from the U.S. paper industry. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has spent nearly $11 million lobbying against the rule since 2023, including $1.3 million this year alone.
Industry pressure has focused on the regulation's GPS-based traceability requirements and its inclusion of forest "degradation," not just outright deforestation. U.S. lawmakers who received AF&PA campaign donations, along with Trump administration trade officials, have pushed the EU for exemptions.
Despite the pressure, the European Commission's updated rules, released in July, kept the original traceability requirements intact with no exemptions. Conservationists argue degradation remains a real problem in North America, where large old-growth forests are still converted into short-rotation plantations through clear-cutting.
Reporting by Elizabeth Schell for Mongabay. Original: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-eu-approved-an-antideforestation-law-the-us-paper-lobby-sought-to-weaken-it/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
