On the path to EUDR alignment: see our webinar recording

16 December 2024 EU Deforestation Regulation

Last week, we held the latest instalment of the PEFC alignment to EUDR webinar series, sharing news from the European Commission as well as the roll out of the new PEFC EUDR compliance support solution.

With our PEFC experts Hubert Inhaizer (Sustainable Forest Management), Maja Drca (EU Affairs), Marta Martínez Pardo (Chain of Custody), and Rob Shaw (Data and Integrity), we touched on the alignment of our Sustainable Forest Management benchmark, the PEFC EUDR DDS module, partnerships with technology experts to ensure data management, and the latest new from the Commission.

If you missed the webinar, you can see the recording below:

Sustainable Forest Management

Hubert provided an overview of the modifications made to the PEFC Sustainable Forest Management benchmark standard for EUDR alignment, therefore enabling PEFC-certified raw material coming out of PEFC-certified forests to be EUDR compliant. The updated standard was approved by the PEFC General Assembly on 13 November and is available to download on this website.

The PEFC national members, responsible for running the PEFC forest certification systems in their country, are now initiating the modifications at their national and regional level.

To help our stakeholders, we have produced a range of documents summarising and highlighting the modifications made within the revised standard:

Chain of Custody

Marta focused on the PEFC EUDR Due Diligence System (DDS) module, which was approved by the PEFC General Assembly in July, and how it can support companies with their EUDR duties. 

The PEFC EUDR DDS simplifies the EUDR requirements by translating them into clear steps using the familiar language of ISO and PEFC Chain of Custody standard. Its guidance on how to collect, record, and share the required data eases compliance with key EUDR data requirements. Furthermore, as it’s built on PEFC chain of custody certification, this enables synergies with other PEFC solutions, such as PEFC RED II certification.

See why the PEFC EUDR DDS is the right choice for your company:

Data and integrity

Rob gave an update on the data aspects of our approach to PEFC EUDR alignment solutions, highlighting our technology partners, all of whom can be found on our PEFC EUDR website. 

Regarding data, our philosophy is not to build a data solution ourselves, but rather to give certified organisations the opportunity to choose from a range of tools that we have researched, with Rob stressing the importance of looking at our range of partners and selecting the best solution.

We were also joined by two of our technology partners, osapiens and Deeplai, both of whom introduced their software solutions.  

EU updates

Maja gave an update on the latest developments at the EU level, starting with the EUDR timeline and process. The focus of her presentation was a detailed look at the EUDR supporting tools from the Commission, which will support the implementation and enforcement of the EUDR.

The guidance document, FAQs, information system, EU Forest Observatory, and Strategic Framework for International Engagement are all launched. The country benchmarking is ongoing, as is the EUDR review.

The implementation tools from the Commission can all be found here and you can subscribe to the Commission newsletter for EUDR updates here.

Further information

To find out more about how PEFC is your partner for EUDR, please visit our PEFC EUDR website.

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.