Your Guide to the EU Deforestation Regulation
By Kathryn Brand, Editor and Content Manager at Products of Change
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is one of the EU’s most significant current environmental laws. Part of the EU Green Deal, it covers commodities historically linked to deforestation risk, including timber, paper and pulp products, cattle, cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil and rubber, and a range of derived products.
For many businesses in the licensing industry, paper is likely to be one of the first materials where the impact of these regulations will be felt.
At the heart of EUDR is the EU’s ambition to ensure that products entering the European market are not contributing to global deforestation.
Unlike a tax for non-compliance, EUDR can prevent non-compliant products from being sold in the European market. If businesses cannot demonstrate compliance, products can be stopped at the border.
Over the past year, regulators have simplified some requirements and taken a more phased approach to implementation. The initial focus will be on larger companies, with responsibility sitting primarily with the first operator placing the product on the EU market. That operator must show the material comes from a compliant source and provide the required due diligence information.
Despite delays and simplifications, most significantly at the end of last year, the postponed implementation dates now look unlikely to change. Those dates will be December 30, 2026 for large- and medium-sized operators and June 30, 2027 for small and micro companies.
A revision relevant to paper and publishing was the temporary removal of certain printed products from EUDR’s scope, including books, newspapers, and printed pictures. It’s also expected that greeting cards and calendars will be removed from its scope, although further clarity is still being sought. You can review the official text and guidance updates directly via the EU Environment Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products webpage.
More information about the EUDR and how it will impact the licensing industry is available on the Products of Change website.
