Voluntary sustainability standards to cope with the new European Union regulation on deforestation-free products: A gap analysis

The EU Regulation on Deforestation (EUDR) aims to combat deforestation linked to the trade of commodities such as livestock, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and timber Operators must ensure that these products do not contribute to deforestation and comply with relevant legislation Although Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) in the private sector are recognized as supportive tools, they are not sufficient to fully comply with the EUDR The study evaluated five VSS regimes and found that, while they partially cover the requirements, they do not guarantee a complete prohibition of deforestation or adequate legal coverage.