EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
On 2 October 2024, the European Commission published a press release proposing an additional 12-month phase-in period, responding to calls by global partners. If approved by the European Parliament and the Council, it would make the law applicable on 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises.
In addition, the Commission has released a new guidance document and updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on the EUDR. We encourage you to review this newly available information. Please note that any updates from these documents will be integrated into the ISCC EUDR add-on.
We remain committed to supporting our System Users interested in using the EUDR add-on and highly recommend beginning preparations for EUDR implementation now to ensure smooth transition.
Thank you for your continued trust in ISCC. We will keep you informed of further developments.
The EU has recently enacted a Deforestation Regulation (“EUDR”) to reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation. The EUDR covers the main agricultural drivers of deforestation (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood), as well as many derived products.
Companies trading these commodities must ensure that these are free from deforestation and forest degradation, being produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production and covered by a due diligence statement. The EUDR states that goods placed on the European market shall not result from recent deforestation, meaning that the land has not been cleared or degraded after 31 December 2020.
Background information: Due Diligence Statements
One of the key components of the EUDR is the due diligence obligation, mandating that every company ensures traceability back to the specific plots of land. The due diligence process consists of three main components: information gathering, risk assessment and risk mitigation.
ISCC EUDR Add-on
An ISCC certification in combination with the EUDR add-on is a solution for companies to mitigate risks related to environmental and human rights criteria, as well as to ensure the accuracy of deforestation analyses. It not only incorporates a deforestation analysis run by the EUDRx tool from GRAS (Global Risk Assessment Services) but also legality checks during the onsite audit and a consolidated reporting for due diligence statements (DDS).
Advantages of the EUDR Add-on
Please note that although third-party certification is not a formal requirement of the EUDR, it is stated as a supporting measure in the regulation that companies can use for their individual assessment.
ISCC supports companies by developing an EUDR add-on with the following components:
The EUDR add-on combines the EUDRx tool with an on-site audit to cover all aspects of the EUDR:
How to Get Involved:
We have developed a comprehensive solution to help companies meet EUDR compliance, seamlessly integrated with ISCC certification. If you are already an ISCC System User, our EUDR add-on is a highly recommended addition to your certification. It can be combined with either ISCC EU or ISCC PLUS certification. The EUDR add-on can easily be incorporated into your next audit, providing a simple, cost-effective way to ensure compliance with EUDR requirements.
FAQs
Which commodities are covered by the ISCC EUDR add-on?
Palm, soy, rubber, as well as many derived products can be covered under the ISCC EUDR add-on.
*Wood is not covered in the first launch of the EUDR add-on but will be covered in successive versions.
What are the core features for the various supply chain actors when using the ISCC EUDR add-on?
Even though the ISCC EUDR add-on needs to be applied by all members of a supply chain, the core responsibilities of users may differ depending on the supply chain scope in focus. In Figure 5 below, we showcase the application of the add-on in an example supply chain and how the add-on is applied depending on the supply chain actor. You may find all the details regarding the EUDR add-on requirements in the EUDR add-on Guidance Document and in the audit procedures.
Further Information
EU Commission Resources:
If you would like to learn more about our offering or would like to collaborate on the EUDR Add-On, please get in touch via our webform – we look forward to hearing from you!