Due Diligence System of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

The due diligence system established in Articles 8-13 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 constitutes the central implementation mechanism that requires operators to verify that commodities and products are deforestation-free and legal before placing them on the EU market. The system comprises three mandatory stages: information collection (geolocation, quantity, country of production, legality), risk assessment using specific criteria, and risk mitigation until achieving a negligible level. Operators sourcing products exclusively from areas classified as low risk are subject to simplified due diligence obligations, exempting them from assessing and mitigating risks unless they receive relevant information indicating non-compliance. Companies may refer to due diligence statements already submitted in the supply chain, with minimum obligations to collect supplier reference numbers, without needing to verify each individual upstream statement. This three-step system ensures complete traceability from the production plot to the European market through the mandatory Due Diligence Statement submitted via the centralized information system.