Important: are you ready for the EUDR?

27 May 2025

From 30 December 2025, an important European legislation will be in force: the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). These new regulations affect companies that import or export certain raw materials, such as cocoa, coffee, and wood, as well as products containing these raw materials. This article tells you exactly who this applies to.

What does the EUDR entail?

The EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) aims to stop deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. The European Union does this by imposing stricter requirements on the origin of specific raw materials and products. Only products that do not originate from deforested or degraded forests (after 31 December 2020) will soon be allowed to be traded within the European Union.

The new rules apply to seven raw materials as well as products that contain these raw materials:

The full text of the regulation, including an overview of the commodity codes affected by the regulation, can be found here.

Who will be affected?

The EUDR applies to all companies that place or wish to place these products on the EU market, meaning importers, exporters, and producers – large and small. Implementation will be in phases:

• Large companies: from 30 December 2025
• Companies trading in wood: from 30 December 2025 (regardless of size)
• SME companies and sole traders: from 30 June 2026

What does this mean for you?

If your shipment contains products covered by the EUDR, you must be able to demonstrate these products are deforestation -free and fully traceable from the effective date. This could necessitate changes to your procurement processes, documentation, and collaboration with suppliers.

It is important here that the required information must not only be available internally, but must also be actively submitted via the European system TRACES. This information is checked by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). As a result, processing declarations may take longer than you are used to.

As such, it is crucial to start gathering and submitting the required information in good time. Make sure you know whether your goods are covered by the EUDR and collect the necessary information on the origin and production of these goods in time. This may require you to request additional information from your suppliers.

Do you have any questions or need advice?

Do you want to find out whether the EUDR applies to your products, or how to prepare? Please do not hesitate to contact your dedicated contact person at Ritra Cargo.