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At PEFC, we have a longstanding commitment to halting deforestation through the promotion of sustainable forest management and products that do not contribute to forest loss. We are committed to continuing this work and strongly support the objectives of the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR).
Our standards are already well positioned to meet many key elements of the EUDR, and we are working intensively to align them more closely with EUDR requirements. PEFC chain of custody certified companies and PEFC certified forest owners will soon be able to benefit from our practical solutions to enable them to successfully implement EUDR.
At PEFC, we take a holistic approach in how we manage our forests sustainably. PEFC certification takes into account numerous environmental, social and economic considerations, while at the same time addressing the EUDR's key focus - deforestation and legality of wood.
The EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), which entered into force on 29 June 2023, aims to decrease the production and consumption of commodities and derived products linked to deforestation and forest degradation entering or leaving the EU market.
By imposing strict requirements on operators and traders, it builds on the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) for wood products. The EUDR requires companies to exercise due diligence for their products, which must be legally produced and deforestation-free – this means not produced on land that has been subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020.
The EUDR covers a wide range of timber products, including sawn timber, wood-based materials, paper, and furniture, as well as rubber. The EUDR also applies to palm oil, soy, coffee, cacao, and beef.
Our latest EUDR-related webinar took place on 27 February. The webinar focussed on the advances we have made in aligning our sustainable forest management and chain of custody standards with EUDR requirements, and looked at the vital data and integrity elements.
The public consultation for the PEFC EUDR DDS standard module is now open. Make your comments by 7 May 2024.
To get an introduction to the PEFC EUDR DDS standard module, watch our recent webinar recording or join us on 24 April for the next PEFC information webinar.
Forest certification is a valuable tool in preventing the flow of material coming from forests connected to deforestation and degradation, due to the assurances it provides through third-party verification. PEFC is well placed to ensure you will be able to meet the EUDR requirements.
PEFC has 25 years of experience in enabling dialogue on sustainable forest management. We meet the challenge of EUDR no differently: bringing different experts and stakeholders together, building consensus, and providing a solution to the market that gives flexibility and responds to the needs of our stakeholders.
We have put in place a cross-functional plan to cover the different aspects within EUDR. Aligned to our inclusive dialogue and bottom-up approach, PEFC members and external experts are participating in working groups and task forces to develop our PEFC EUDR solution for the market.
Through a fast-track process we will advance through three development streams, all of them interconnected, but each focused on the key topics within the EUDR:
Our roadmap will guide us and our members to an approved solution by the European summer of 2024.
A few critical steps in our roadmap include the public consultations of the EUDR related standards in February and March and piloting testing of these standards between March and April - ready for the approval of the standards in May/June 2024.
Behind the scenes, our Working Groups and Task Forces will be working on our development streams to ensure we have practical solutions in place to enable you to successfully implement EUDR. We also continue to engage with the EU Commission, as we have done since the start of the EUDR development process.
As we follow our roadmap, there will be many opportunities for our stakeholders to get involved. The EUDR related standards will go to public consultation between February and March 2024 - this is your chance to give your feedback and ensure these standards meet your needs.
In March and April, we'll be pilot testing the standards. Companies that are already purchasing material for 2024 will be invited to start implementing the requirements and provide us with feedback, so we can further improve our requirements.
Sign up to our Technical Matters newsletter to keep up to date on all the latest PEFC EUDR news!
If you have any questions or queries regarding PEFC and our alignment with EUDR, please contact us at eudr@pefc.org.
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