The new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is coming into force soon. It’s a big deal for anyone trading timber, cocoa, coffee, rubber, palm oil, soy, and cattle products into the EU.

In this quick guide, we’ll break down what EUDR means, who’s affected, when you need to act, and how your business can get ready without turning your team upside down.

What is the EUDR?

In short, the EUDR aims to stop products linked to deforestation from entering and circulating the EU market. This means that whether you’re selling coffee beans, cocoa powder, or timber furniture, you will need to prove they come from deforestation-free land - and comply with local laws where they’re produced.

Let’s say that you are importing tropical timber for flooring. Under EUDR, you must show exactly where the wood was harvested and demonstrate that the forest area hasn’t been cleared after December 2020, and that it complies with local legislation.

Who needs to comply?

The regulation applied to:

• Operators: Companies that place these commodities or related products on the EU market for the first time.
• Trader: Companies that buy or sell these commodities/products within the EU supply chain.

Whether you’re a large multinational or a small local importer - if you handle any of these seven commodities (timber, coffee, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, soy, cattle), you’re in scope.

For now we keep this simple, in the next posts we will dive into the products in scope, and the coding system.

What exactly must you do?

Under EUDR, companies need to take full responsibility for making sure their products comply. According to your size and role in the supply chain, different responsibilities apply - starting with record keeping and traceability, up to full accountability.

This mean you must carry out proper due diligence on your supply chain: know exactly where your raw materials come from, gather geolocation data to prove the land hasn’t been recently cleared, and keep detailed records to show authorities if asked. On top of that, you must be prepared for possible inspections and audits at any time. All of this can mean more paperwork and closer collaboration with your suppliers - so planning ahead is key to avoid surprises and shipment delays.

When do you need to comply?

Compliance deadlines depend on you company size:

• Large companies: by 30 December 2025
• Small and micro entreprises: By 30 June 2026

This means you need your supply chain due diligence, traceability, and documentation ready well before these dates, because shipments that don’t comply can be confiscated, and fines applied.

How can your company get ready (without extra headaches)?

Let’s be honest: setting up the systems, collecting all the new data, and keeping up with inspections can quickly overwhelm your existing team.

That’s why many businesses are looking for outsourced solutions to handle compliance for them.

Our fully managed compliance platform does exactly that:

• We guide you through the entire EUDR journey - from day one to audit.
• We handle the heavy lifting of data collection, traceability mapping, and documentation.
• We make sure your business is always ready for audit.
• You save time, reduce costs, and keep your team focused on what they do best.

Let’s make EUDR simple for you

Have questions? Curious how we work? We’re ready to help - just get in touch (compliance@timberhub.com).