Information on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
Update: Özdemir welcomes postponement of the EUDR
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Press release Oct. 02, 2024
Regarding the EU Commission's announcement to postpone the regulation for deforestation-free products (EUDR), you can quote the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, as follows:
"I welcome the fact that the EU Commission has given in to our request and wants to postpone the start of application of the EU regulation for deforestation-free products (EUDR) by twelve months. Due to the delays in important implementation elements at EU level, I - and the entire German government - had already called for a six-month postponement of the start of application in August. A postponement would give German and European companies and businesses, as well as the member states and producing countries, time to prepare adequately for the application of this important regulation.
The EU Commission has now also issued the long-awaited explanations on the practicable and efficient application of the EUDR. The BMEL had advised the Commission intensively on this in recent months and achieved a number of simplifications in the implementation of the EUDR. We will examine in detail whether these proposals have been implemented in a practical manner.
In addition to the technical requirements, the EU Commission also wants to categorize risk classes. I would like to clarify this once again: Germany is a low-risk country and must be classified as such.
The regulation itself must remain untouched in the legislative procedure now planned to postpone the start of application. That is my clear position, and that is also the position of the EU Commission. The EUDR is and remains a milestone in international forest protection and must be implemented - so that forests are preserved worldwide instead of being cut down further and further for our consumption.
With a smooth implementation now, the EU Commission can restore lost trust and create acceptance for the regulation - among our companies, among consumers and among producers of coffee, cocoa or wood worldwide, for example."
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Status: September 2024
Paul Kläs is prepared for the EUDR - but we are waiting for the legislator to finalize all the necessary requirements.
As part of the EU Green Deal, the European Union has adopted a new Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to combat global deforestation.
This regulation came into force on June 29, 2023 and will replace the previous European Timber Regulation (EUTR) after a transitional period.
The EUDR obliges companies operating in the supply chains of certain product groups to comply with strict due diligence obligations. These product groups include coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, beef, rubber and wood, as well as products made from these raw materials. Companies must ensure that their products comply with the environmental and human rights regulations of the producing countries and do not cause deforestation or forest degradation.
What does the EUDR mean for the packaging industry?
There is an important exception for companies that produce packaging made from paper, cardboard or paperboard: the EUDR does not apply to packaging that is made exclusively from recycled paper and does not contain virgin fibers. These products are not covered by the regulation as they do not cause deforestation. The regulation applies to companies that market or export products made of wood or materials made from wood in the EU. These companies must set up due diligence systems from December 30, 2024 (for small companies from June 30, 2025).
These systems consist of two main components:
Collection and documentation of relevant information: Companies must ensure that the materials used comply with the legislation of the country of production and do not cause deforestation or forest degradation. This also includes assessing potential risks along the supply chain.
Submission of a digital due diligence declaration: This declaration is submitted in a central EU database (Deforestation Due Diligence Statement Registry). Each item in the supply chain is registered and receives an individual reference number that is linked to the supplier numbers.
Challenges during implementation
At this stage (less than three months before the compliance deadline), the required database is not yet operational and application issues remain.
The specifications for the database interface have been published, but final system availability is not expected until December 9, 2024. This leaves only a very short period of time to fully meet the requirements of the EUDR.
What does this mean for customers in the packaging industry?
Companies that mainly use wood, paper or cardboard as packaging material are generally not directly obliged to comply with the EUDR requirements. Such materials are mainly used as protective and carrying packaging and therefore do not fall under the due diligence obligations of the regulation. Accordingly, requests from customers for reference numbers or geodata in relation to EUDR for paper and cardboard packaging are not necessary in most cases.