The United Kingdom will soon finalize its requirements banning the use of ingredients sourced from areas tied to illegal deforestation.

According to The Sunday Times, the rules are expected to be announced by ministers on June 23 as part of London Climate Action Week, and will require businesses to conduct regular checks of their supply chains to ensure that they're not sourcing products grown on illegally deforested lands. Products covered under the rules include soy, palm oil, leather, beef, cocoa and rubber among other commodities.

“Tackling global deforestation is essential to tackle climate change and protect the world’s forests which are the lungs of the world," said U.K. Nature Minister Mary Creagh. "We are leading by example and scrutinizing our own supply chains."

The requirements are part of a larger law passed in 2021 known as the Environment Act, which also gave the British government broad powers to prevent the exporting of plastic waste to developing countries, and set targets for reducing air and water pollution. However, the bill's deforestation rules have been stuck in limbo for years, as successive governments have delayed the rollout to consult with businesses, refine the enforcement framework, and consider whether the rules should more closely align with the European Union's own deforestation standards set to come into effect in December. 

Data from environmental nonprofit Global Witness found that U.K. cattle products, soy, oil palm, cocoa, coffee and rubber were tied to roughly 13,500 hectares of global deforestation -- the size of a major city -- in 2024 alone. Additionally, the country's total deforestation footprint linked to those exports has grown by more than 39,300 hectares since the Environment Act was passed in 2021.