Home / Environment / UK Retailers Sell Deforestation-Linked Charcoal from Gran Chaco
UK Retailers Sell Deforestation-Linked Charcoal from Gran Chaco
10 Sep
Summary
- UK retailers sell charcoal linked to Paraguayan deforestation.
- Charcoal sourced from trees cleared for farmland in Gran Chaco.
- Legally cleared land allows charcoal to enter UK market.
British retailers, including B&Q and Waitrose, are reportedly selling barbecue charcoal sourced from trees cleared for farmland in Paraguay's Gran Chaco, a vital forest region. The charcoal is linked to Paraguayan forestry company Taruma, a major supplier to the British barbecue brand Big K.
Global Witness investigations indicate that Taruma sources wood from ranches that have deforested over 28,000 hectares since 2012. A second supplier, Paben SA, previously worked with Big K and has cleared approximately 2,700 hectares since 2021.
Paraguay, facing scrutiny over its environmental impact amid trade talks with the EU, has acknowledged decades of agriculture-driven deforestation. The country recently unveiled its first national forestry policy, pledging stricter environmental monitoring to align with EU trade standards.
Despite the UK's 2021 Environment Act banning imports linked to illegal deforestation, products from legally cleared land can still reach the British market. New EU regulations, effective December 30, will ban all products linked to deforested land, regardless of legality, impacting Paraguay's export ambitions.
