Regulatory Guide
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) 2023/1115 — Compliance Primer
Last reviewed: June 2026 · Traceable Regulatory Team
Direct answer
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, prohibits placing seven commodities — cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood — and products derived from them on the EU market unless they are deforestation-free (no deforestation after 31 December 2020), legal in the country of production, and covered by a due diligence statement that includes the geolocation of every plot of origin. It applies to large operators and traders from 30 December 2025, and to micro and small enterprises from 30 June 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Covers cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood — plus derived products such as leather, chocolate, furniture, paper and tyres.
- Goods must be deforestation-free (no deforestation after 31 December 2020), legal in the country of production, and covered by a due diligence statement.
- Due diligence requires the geolocation of every plot of land where the commodity was produced.
- Applies to large operators and traders from 30 December 2025; micro and small enterprises from 30 June 2026.
- Due diligence statements are filed through the EU Information System (TRACES) — EUDR is not a Digital Product Passport regime.
Regulatory Primer. Essential, source-verified facts on the EU Deforestation Regulation. Citations below link to the official EUR-Lex texts.
What the EUDR does
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, prohibits placing seven commodities — cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood — and a defined list of products derived from them on the EU market, or exporting them from it, unless they are deforestation-free, legally produced in the country of origin, and covered by a due diligence statement. It entered into force on 29 June 2023, and its objective is to ensure that EU consumption does not drive deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.
Who is in scope, and when
Following the postponement adopted in December 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650), the EUDR applies to large operators and traders from 30 December 2025, and to micro and small enterprises from 30 June 2026. The deforestation cut-off is the same for all tiers: goods must be free of deforestation occurring after 31 December 2020. Scope is determined by the commodity codes in the Regulation’s annex, which extend to derived products such as leather, chocolate, furniture, paper and rubber tyres.
What due diligence requires
Operators must collect information proving each commodity is deforestation-free and legal — including the geolocation of every plot of land where it was produced — assess and mitigate risk, and submit a due diligence statement. Statements are filed through the EU Information System (TRACES). The EUDR is a due diligence and customs regime; it is not a Digital Product Passport. However, the plot-level traceability it demands overlaps closely with the supplier data used for Digital Product Passports in adjacent categories such as tyres, furniture and textiles.
What This Means For Your Business
The EUDR shifts the burden of proof onto the operator. To place a covered commodity or product on the EU market, you must be able to trace it back to the specific plot of land where it was produced and demonstrate that no deforestation occurred there after 31 December 2020. For supply chains in rubber, leather, paper and packaging, this means building plot-level geolocation and chain-of-custody records that did not previously exist.
Because scope is defined by commodity codes, products you may not associate with deforestation — such as printed packaging, furniture or tyres — can fall within it. Mapping your product portfolio against the Regulation’s annex is the first step to understanding your exposure.
Action Steps
- Map your product portfolio against the EUDR commodity codes to identify which products are in scope.
- Establish plot-level geolocation for every source of a covered commodity in your supply chain.
- Verify the legality of production in each country of origin and collect supporting documentation.
- Build a due diligence process and prepare to submit due diligence statements through the EU Information System (TRACES).
- Confirm which application date applies to you — 30 December 2025 for large operators and traders, 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
The EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, is the EU rule that bans placing seven commodities and their derived products on the EU market — or exporting them from it — unless they are deforestation-free, legally produced, and covered by a due diligence statement. It entered into force on 29 June 2023 and aims to ensure that EU consumption does not drive deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.
EUDR covers seven commodities: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood. It also covers a defined list of products derived from them — for example leather, chocolate, coffee, palm-oil derivatives, furniture, paper, and rubber tyres. Whether a specific product is in scope is determined by the commodity codes set out in the Regulation’s annex, not by a percentage threshold.
Following the postponement adopted in December 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2025/2650), EUDR applies to large operators and traders from 30 December 2025, and to micro and small enterprises from 30 June 2026. The deforestation cut-off date is the same for all: goods must be free of deforestation occurring after 31 December 2020.
Operators must collect information proving each commodity is deforestation-free and legally produced, including the geolocation of every plot of land where it was produced, then assess and mitigate risk and submit a due diligence statement. Statements are filed through the EU Information System (TRACES). EUDR is a due diligence and customs regime — it is not a Digital Product Passport, although the plot-level traceability it requires overlaps closely with DPP supply-chain data.
No. EUDR has its own dedicated EU Information System (TRACES) for due diligence statements and is separate from the ESPR Digital Product Passport framework. However, the granular plot-of-origin and chain-of-custody traceability EUDR demands for rubber, leather, paper and packaging supply chains uses the same supplier-data discipline needed for DPPs in adjacent categories such as tyres, furniture and textiles.