EUDR Regulation: Reducing Deforestation

October 23, 2025 | Theme: Regulation

The EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation) prohibits the placing on the EU market, as well as the export from its territory, of certain raw materials and their derived products originating from land that has been subject to deforestation or forest degradation after December 31, 2020.

Objective and Products Concerned

The aim of this regulation is to reduce the European Union’s contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation, by promoting more sustainable supply chains.

The EUDR applies to seven raw materials considered to be contributing to deforestation:

Wood
Coffee
Cocoa
Soy
Palm oil
Rubber
Cattle (meat, leather)

It also covers their derived products, such as paper and furniture, chocolate, cosmetics, biofuels, and leather goods.

Obligations for Operators

This regulation requires importers to ensure strict traceability of product origins, with documented evidence of both environmental and legal compliance.

Before placing products on the EU market, companies must implement a due diligence system that includes:

Information collection: Supplier identity, product description, quantity and country of production, as well as the geographical coordinates of the plots where raw materials were produced.
Risk assessment: Verification that production is not linked to legal or illegal deforestation and evaluation of compliance with the laws of the country of origin.
Mitigation measures: If a non-negligible risk is identified, corrective actions must be implemented before importation.
Due diligence statement: Submission of a declaration in the EU TRACES NT system before products are placed on the market. Without this validated declaration, goods (such as timber) cannot be released for free circulation. All documentation must be kept for at least five years.

Application Dates

Although the regulation entered into force on June 29, 2023, its operational implementation was postponed to give companies time to adapt:

December 30, 2025: Application for large and medium-sized enterprises.
June 30, 2026: Application for small enterprises.

Controls and Risk Classification

The EU will classify countries of origin into three risk levels of non-compliance: low, standard, or high.

This classification will determine the level of control carried out by European authorities on imported and exported products.
Companies sourcing from high-risk countries will face stricter obligations, including more frequent and detailed verification procedures.

For more information, consult the official page of the French Ministry for Spatial Planning and Ecological Transition: https://www.deforestationimportee.ecologie.gouv.fr/reglement-europeen-contre-la-deforestation-et-la-degradation-des-forets/article/reglement-europeen-contre-la-deforestation-et-la-degradation-des-forets