Hello and welcome to the Strawman. The newsletter that takes the climate and turns it in to something you care about - you’re welcome earth!

Today we’re talking about an important part of the decarbonisation journey. Tracking. Tracking the source of our consumption and the environmental impact is a massive challenge. And as usual, it’s an even bigger business.

You might remember from previous issues that scope 3 emissions are a hot topic. EU regulators are forcing large businesses to not only improve their own emissions but even the emissions of their supply chains. To make this happen, we need to know exactly in the supply chain emissions are occurring and it’s easier said than done.

In fact, often, it’s a lack of data that big companies appeal to in order to avoid taking action. They intentionally misreport their scope 3 emissions or make omissions that present themselves in a better light. Some regulators have really had enough and they’re taking strong action to stop consumers from engaging with the biggest corporate culprits.

The EU means business

This week, the European Parliament announced a significant new law that will ban products linked to deforestation from the EU market. With a 522-44 vote in favour, this marks one of the last major steps towards the establishment of a law that will effectively ban deforestation-linked products in the market.

Deforestation is intimately linked to human consumption in a number of unexpected places. EU consumption is responsible for approximately 10% of global deforestation, with palm and soya oil accounting for more than two-thirds of this. It’s not just toy cars and wooden batteries we’re talking about. Our foods, our buildings, and our transport all have significant roles to play!

Under the new law, companies will be required to issue a due diligence statement confirming that products are not sourced from lands which were subject to deforestation. The law also includes penalties for non-compliance, which can reach up to 4% of the annual revenue in the EU. Ouch!

Canada’s gearing up too

America’s friendly neighbour up north is also getting mean on climate change with a focus on supply chains. Canada, currently throws away 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only 9% recycled. Yikes - those results are worse than my Year 5 spelling test. It’s not looking pretty.

Focusing on plastics, regulators have found that a number of items marked as “biodegradable” are not actually recyclable in the vast majority of plants. The new rule says these labels can only be used if 80% of Canadians would be able to recycle the material. Here’s hoping plastic straws pass the test!

While these actions have been welcomed by climate change campaigners, critics are arguing that these regulations are imposing on the choice that consumers should have. In other words, ‘Hey government, stop telling me what to do’. - especially if it’s about the environment.

‘Til next time,

The Strawman