EUDR Compliant – Deforestation Regulation
Prove your products are deforestation-free
The EU Deforestation Regulation applies from 30 December 2026. If you place cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, rubber or wood on the EU market – or anything made from them – you need traceability data, a risk assessment and due diligence documentation before your products can move.
We help you get there in four steps.
What is the EU Deforestation Regulation?
The EUDR requires companies to show that certain products and raw materials are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. Specifically, it applies to products made on land that has not been deforested or degraded after 31 December 2020 — and that were produced legally in their country of origin.
It covers seven commodities: cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, rubber and wood. But the reach is much wider than the raw materials, because derived products are in scope too. That means furniture, paper and packaging, chocolate, leather goods, tyres, coffee, and a long list of others.
If you import, export or place these products on the EU market, you need to collect supply chain data down to the plot of land, assess deforestation risk, and complete due diligence before the products can be traded.
Non-compliance is not a paperwork problem. Fines start at a minimum of 4% of annual EU turnover for serious breaches, and enforcement includes product seizure, withdrawal orders, exclusion from public procurement, and blocked market access. In the Netherlands, the NVWA carries out inspections and Customs checks that goods are accompanied by the right documentation.
Download your EMPCO checklist
Six checks to see if you are ready for EUDR
The dates that matter
- Large and medium-sized operators and traders: 30 December 2026
- Micro and small operators previously covered by the EU Timber Regulation: 30 December 2026
- Micro and small operators established before 31 December 2020
The deforestation cut-off date is 31 December 2020 for everyone, regardless of when your obligations start.
The regulation has been postponed twice, which has led a lot of companies to assume it will move again. The Commission’s 2026 review confirmed it will not. Planning on another delay is now the expensive option.
When is EUDR relevant for your business?
EUDR applies to a wider range of companies than most people expect. You are likely in scope if:
- You place or make available on the EU market any product containing or derived from cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, wood or rubber — including finished goods like furniture, chocolate, leather, tyres, paper and packaging
- You import or export these products, in any volume
- You sit further down the chain as a trader or downstream operator, and your customers need proof of deforestation-free production for the products you supply
- Your customers have started asking for due diligence statement references, geolocation data or supplier declarations
- You want better traceability and transparency in your supply chain, whatever the regulation says
A common misconception is that only the importer carries the burden. The 2026 simplification package removed the obligation for downstream operators and traders to file their own due diligence statements, but you still have to obtain and retain the reference numbers from your suppliers, verify that upstream due diligence was done, and pass the information on. In practice, that means having the conversation with your suppliers well before December.
Starting early gives you time to engage suppliers, close data gaps and build the right processes, without disrupting your business at the deadline.
EUDR - What you actually have to do
1
Know your scope
Which of your products contain a covered commodity, and where in the chain do you sit — operator, downstream operator, or trader? For a lot of companies this is the hardest step, because the commodity is buried inside a finished product.
2
Trace to the plot
You need to know where the commodity was produced, down to geolocation coordinates of the plot of land. This is the step that depends most on your suppliers, and the one that takes longest.
3
Assess and mitigate risk
Assess the risk that the product is linked to deforestation or illegal production, and reduce it to negligible before the product moves. Where you source from a country benchmarked as low risk, a simplified process applies — which is worth establishing early, because for many companies it removes a substantial amount of work.
4
File and keep the evidence
Operators submit a due diligence statement through the EU information system. Downstream operators and traders collect and retain the references. Everyone keeps the underlying evidence for five years.
Why choose NEWKINDS for EUDR support?
For many companies, EUDR compliance feels complex — it involves supplier engagement, geolocation data, risk assessments and structured documentation across supply chains that are often long and not very transparent.
We designed a practical, step-by-step approach that makes compliance structured and manageable, and strengthens your supply chain transparency along the way. We tailor the support to where you are, whether you are just starting out or already partly prepared.
- 1. Baseline We assess your current product lines, supply chain setup, available data and existing due diligence processes to map your EUDR scope, and identify compliance gaps and risks.
- 2. Action plan Based on the gap analysis, we develop a practical roadmap tailored to your organisation — covering the required steps, priorities, roles and responsibilities, and a supplier engagement strategy.
- 3. Implementation We support you in setting up the right processes for traceability, risk assessment, supplier data collection and documentation, using practical tools and templates that reduce the burden on your team and on your suppliers.
- 4. Compliance We help you prepare the required due diligence statements and supporting evidence — geolocation data, risk assessments and supplier declarations — so your organisation is ready for EUDR deadlines and for customer requests.
Frequently asked questions about EUDR
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Possibly. The regulation covers placing products on the EU market and making them available on it, so companies that buy from an EU importer and resell can still have obligations — usually as a downstream operator or trader. The starting point is always your product list, not your import documents.
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The regulation has been delayed twice, and the Commission’s 2026 review confirmed that the December 2026 date stands. There is no basis for planning on another postponement — and given how long supplier data collection takes, waiting to find out is the most expensive option available.
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To the plot of land where the commodity was produced, with geolocation coordinates. That is the requirement that most often turns out to be the bottleneck, because it depends on suppliers who may be several steps removed from you.
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Then a simplified due diligence process applies. Countries are benchmarked as low, standard or high risk, and most countries — including all EU member states — are classified as low risk. You still need to collect the information, but the full risk assessment and mitigation step falls away. Establishing this early can remove a large share of the work, which is why we look at it in the baseline.
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The NVWA carries out inspections at traders, importers, producers and exporters, and Customs checks that goods are accompanied by the required documentation. Inspection rates are set by country risk category, ranging from 1% for low-risk to 9% for high-risk sourcing.
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Fines of at least 4% of annual EU turnover for serious infringements, plus product seizure, confiscation of revenue, withdrawal orders, exclusion from public procurement and funding, and market access restrictions. For most companies the commercial consequence arrives first: customers who cannot accept your product without a due diligence reference.
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This is the most common blocker, and it is usually solvable. Sometimes the data exists but nobody has asked for it in a usable format. Sometimes it needs a different supplier conversation, a different contractual arrangement, or a change of source. The one thing that does not work is discovering it in December.
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It depends on how many products are in scope and how long your chains are, but supplier data collection is the long pole and it is measured in months, not weeks. A baseline assessment gives you a realistic answer for your own situation within a few weeks.
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Yes. We help you prepare the required information and the supporting evidence, and set up the process so your team can keep doing it after we leave.