The EIP: 10 Days of the 10 Goals

Goal 6 nestles within Chapter 3: Circular economy. It focuses on ensuring that natural resources are produced, managed, and consumed sustainably. In its opening paragraph it warns that scarcity of finite resources “can destabilise supply chains, raising costs and heightening inequality” and “their extraction and use can damage the environment and cause – or exacerbate the effects of – climate change”.

Goal 6 aims to address some big issues, providing 10 commitments under four headings focusing on timber, fishing, soil, and broader strategies for food and farming.

1. Increasing the supply, harvesting and use of sustainable domestic timber

The current timber baseline reflects a situation where the UK is heavily reliant on imports and faces declining domestic production. The UK is losing conifer forests faster than they are being replanted, making it the second-largest net importer of timber and wood products globally.[1] This dependency is significant because global demand for timber is projected to triple by 2050[2], which will increase pressure on supply chains and raise costs.

Although timber plays a crucial role in decarbonizing construction and supporting a circular economy (less than 1% of timber and wood products going to landfill[3]), the domestic forestry sector has not kept pace with demand. Indeed, using timber as a construction material can reduce embodied emissions in a single building by 20% to 60%.[4]

With a focus on manufacturing, construction and industry, the commitments listed under this heading connect with more detailed policies such as the Timber in Construction Roadmap 2025[5] and the Forestry Sector Skills Plan 2025-2035[6]. However, while there is a statutory target to increase England’s tree canopy and woodland cover to at least 16.5% of all land in England by 31 December 2050[7] it is hard not to feel that the commitments on domestic timber are somewhat aspirational and lacking in clear measurable targets.

Given the UK’s baseline, reversing tree loss, while increasing timber supply for construction without an overreliance on imports are lofty ambitions worthy of Grand Designs. These ambitions are also pursued on the international stage, where at COP30 the UK was one of 15 governments to endorse the scaling of responsible timber use[8]. However, the focus on shifting to more sustainable supply chains, including tackling illegal deforestation present in the 2023 EIP is now missing. This is a significant omission, since tropical deforestation is a critical component of climate change that is often accompanied by human rights abuses, and as CUT UK set out there are tools within the UK Government’s arsenal to address these harms.[9]

2. Managing fisheries sustainably

Under this heading there is an aspiration to support vibrant, profitable, and sustainable fishing industries alongside a healthy and productive marine environment, with a single commitment to: Manage our marine fisheries in a way designed to maintain or restore stocks to a sustainable level to achieve the environmental, economic and social commitments as required under the Joint Fisheries Statement and Fisheries Act 2020.

The actions and strategies for achieving this commitment include:

Setting Total Allowable Catches based on scientific advice.
Implementing Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) to restore stocks.
Publishing five new FMPs by 2025 and four more by 2026.
Negotiating internationally to increase sustainable stock levels.
Extending Vessel Monitoring Systems to all English-licensed fishing vessels and non-English fishing vessels operating in English waters for better spatial data.
Delivering the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, investing £360 million over 12 years to modernize the industry and support coastal communities.

The Fisheries Act 2020 requires the UK fisheries policy authorities (Defra, and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) to publish fisheries management plans (FMPs) to help deliver the ambition for sustainable fisheries.

Of course, the thing about fish is that they do not stay neatly within state boundaries, making this a challenging commitment. For example, and without seeking to wade into controversial waters, negotiating Total Allowable Catches with international partners will inevitably be fraught with political and economic interests that are in tension with the best available scientific evidence. Indeed, some NGOs advocate for a more cautious approach by setting catch limits well below the best available scientific single-stock advice for maximum catches.

Finally, the House of Commons Library reported that in 2023 UK exported fish worth £1.7 billion and imported £3.5 billion, with the majority of imports being from non-EU countries, including for example 9% of imports from China[10]. Such long-distance global supply chains are unsurprising and should have merited consideration under the fisheries commitment give the focus on sustainability.

3. Managing, improving and protecting soil responsibly

Soil is a critical natural asset supporting biodiversity, water quality, food security, and climate resilience. However, degradation from erosion, contamination, and intensive farming threatens these functions. Sustainable soil management improves ecosystem services and supports circularity.

Commitment 57 replicates the concrete target from the 2023 EIP, to bring 40% of England’s agricultural soil under sustainable management by 2028, rising to 60% by 2030. However, on the face of it there is no reference to any guidance on sustainable soil management practices. As such, commitment 58 to improve soil data quality and availability by 2029, alongside actions to publish principles and guidance for soil health monitoring by 2026, are critical for achieving this ambition.

4. Ensuring sustainable and resilient food production

Food and farming are central to the UK’s environmental, economic, and social well-being. Agriculture not only provides essential nutrition but also shapes rural economies, landscapes, and biodiversity. However, the sector faces mounting challenges: climate change, soil degradation, global supply chain volatility, and rising input costs. These pressures demand a transition toward sustainable practices that maintain productivity while reducing environmental impact.

The EIP states that the government will invest over £2.7 billion annually from 2026 to 2029 to support sustainable farming and nature recovery through the Defra Farming and Countryside Programme and through Environmental Land Management. This funding underpins schemes that reward farmers for adopting regenerative practices, enhancing soil health, and protecting habitats.

Commitments 59 and 60, listed under this heading, include the creation and implementation of a new farming roadmap, a new food strategy setting out the government’s vision for England’s farming system in 2030 and 2050. This will be an opportunity for the government to update and lay out a bold vision in a challenging climate and economic context.

Finally, commitment 61 seeks to strengthen the conservation of genetic resources. Here the focus is more on biodiversity of livestock and crops to ensure food security in the face of potential climate and geopolitical shocks.

Conclusion

Ultimately sustainability of resources is a critical economic, social and environmental goal. While the commitments on timber, fisheries, soil, and food systems set an ambitious vision, delivery will hinge on clear interim targets, robust data, and stronger alignment with global supply chain realities. Further, given that Goal 6 is not just an environmental imperative, but a strategic economic and social priority it will require consistent policy alignment across government department with competing priorities that may prove challenging.

Rossen Roussanov is a barrister at Landmark Chambers.

[1] 2024 - 1: Woodland area and planting - Forest Research

2025 - 9: International forestry - Forest Research

[2] Global Timber Outlook 2025 - Gresham House

[3] What is a Whole Life Carbon Assessment? : Timber Development UK

[4] Timber in construction roadmap 2025 - GOV.UK

[5] Timber in construction roadmap 2025 - GOV.UK

[6] Forestry Sector Skills Plan 2025 - 2035 - Royal Forestry Society

[7] Tree canopy and woodland cover Environment Act target delivery plan - GOV.UK

[8] Principles for Responsible Timber Construction - Built by Nature

[9] UK | Clean Up The Tropical Timber Trade

[10] The fishing industry - House of Commons Library