From compliance to impact: Navigating the economic realities of environmental regulation

Briefing or opinion
Webinar

Authored by Evidensia

Summary

This Evidensia learning event provides insight into the ‘super wicked’ problem of regulating markets for positive environmental outcomes. 

It explores: 

  • How regulations like the EUDR are designed to drive change in global commodity markets 
  • How businesses and producer countries may respond
  • How greater international policy alignment could foster coherence and trigger a global ‘race to the top’ 
  • What could prevent unintended consequences, such as producers switching to unregulated forest-risk commodities 

About this event  

How can market regulation truly reduce global sustainability issues – and what can be done to move from compliance to actual impact?  As sustainable trade policies expand, their success will depend not only on enforcement, but also on how producers, traders and other major consumer markets respond.  Will we see fragmentation and market segregation – or growing convergence toward shared standards? 

This public webinar explores the real-world economic and behavioural dynamics that could enable or constrain environmental regulations, using the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free products (EUDR) as a topical example. The EUDR aims to reduce deforestation – a complex ‘super wicked’ problem where markets, politics, and incentives interact in unpredictable ways.  Designed to limit the EU’s contribution to global forest loss, the regulation aims to reshape supply chains for forest-risk commodities.  But how can implementation be supported to deliver meaningful environmental impact? 

Recording timestamps 

Keynote speaker:

  • Dario Schulz, Researcher, European Forest Institute (EFI) | 04:38

Panellists’ reflections:

  • Leonardo Park, Researcher, Fundar  | 40:26
  • Pablo de la Vega, Researcher, National University of La Plata | 51:25
  • Ashwin Selvaraj, Deputy Director for Market Transformation, India, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) | 01:04:32

Panel discussion | 01:14:06

Research detail

View details of the primary research behind this resource

Not an easy ride: Economic research priorities for pro-environmental trade regulation

Descriptive information
Journal article

Published May 2026 by Evidensia. Authored by Evidensia