What EUDR is and why it exists
What it is
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is a law that aims to reduce the deforestation and forest degradation driven by EU consumption. It sets a simple but far reaching rule: certain commodities, and the products made from them, may only be placed on the EU market, or exported from it, when they meet three conditions at the same time.
- They are deforestation-free. The commodity was produced on land that was not subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020 (and, for wood, that no forest degradation occurred after that date).
- They were produced legally under the relevant laws of the country of production.
- They are covered by a Due Diligence Statement that the company has submitted before the product is placed on the market.
Why it exists
The EU is one of the largest consumers of commodities linked to global deforestation, such as beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and timber. The regulation shifts responsibility onto the companies that trade these goods. Instead of assuming a supply chain is clean, a company now has to prove it, plot of land by plot of land. This is why the geolocation of production areas sits at the very heart of the regulation.
EUDR replaces the older EU Timber Regulation and broadens the approach well beyond wood to a wider set of commodities.
The core mechanism: due diligence
Compliance is built on a due diligence process with three pillars. You will meet all three again, in operational detail, later in this documentation.
| Pillar | What it means | Where it lives in kolum |
|---|---|---|
| Information | Collect data on the product, the quantities, the country of production, and the geolocation of every plot of land where the commodity was produced. | Risk Assessment, Step 1 |
| Risk assessment | Judge the risk that the product is not compliant, using the collected data and defined criteria. | Risk Assessment, Step 2 |
| Risk mitigation | Where the risk is more than negligible, take measures until the remaining risk is negligible. | Risk Mitigation Measures |
Only when the due diligence concludes that the risk is negligible (no more than a low, acceptable level) can a Due Diligence Statement be submitted and the product placed on the market.
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 31 December 2020 | The deforestation-free cutoff. Commodities produced on land deforested after this date are not compliant. |
| 29 June 2023 | The regulation entered into force. |
| 30 December 2026 | Main obligations start to apply for large and medium operators and traders. |
| 30 June 2027 | Obligations start to apply for micro and small operators, for non-timber products. |
⚠️ These dates reflect the 2025 amendment (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650), which postponed and simplified the rules. Always confirm the current dates for your company size in the consolidated EUDR text.
What happens if you do not comply
A relevant product cannot be placed on, or exported from, the EU market without a valid Due Diligence Statement, so the first consequence is simply a blocked shipment. Beyond that, national authorities can impose penalties that include fines proportionate to the environmental damage and the value of the products, confiscation of the products or of the revenue earned from them, and temporary exclusion from public procurement and from placing products on the market. Getting the due diligence right is what keeps your goods moving.
ℹ️ For the legal text behind these obligations, see the consolidated EUDR. This page summarises the regulation in plain language so you can operate it in kolum.