- Green Book Alliance
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 9
Updated Aug 19, 2025
EUDR came into effect on June 29, 2023, and is designed to ensure that products linked to deforestation or forest degradation are excluded from the EU market. It replaced the earlier European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR).
What products are included?
The regulation targets commodities linked to issues of deforestation such as wood, cocoa, soy, coffee, rubber, and their derivatives like furniture, chocolate, and paper. The inclusion of printed matter like books, was not previously covered under EUTR.
Who is responsible for compliance and what are the consequences of non-compliance?
If companies don’t follow the rules, they could face big fines (up to 4% of their EU sales), have goods taken away, or lose access to public contracts. Production must follow local social and environmental laws, and it’s the company’s responsibility to prove compliance. This means following a clear due diligence process and sharing transparent supply chain information.
How will compliance be monitored?
Authorities will carry out regular checks, and companies should expect reviews from others too. To comply, every book must be traceable all the way from the tree it came from to the finished product—including the paper in pages, covers, and jackets. Fully recycled materials are exempt, but mixed materials still need proof of origin.
Important Dates
31 December 2020 – Cut-off date: products must show no deforestation or forest degradation after this point.
29 June 2023 – The EUDR officially came into force.
30 December 2025 – Rules start applying to medium and large operators and traders.
30 June 2026 – Rules start applying to micro and small enterprises.
*Transition period:
Products made before 29 June 2023 only need to follow the old EUTR rules until 31 December 2028, after which they must meet EUDR.
Products made between 29 June 2023 and 30 December 2025 must already follow EUDR.
*Delays?
Although there has been talk of a potential second delay of 1 year due to IT concerns, nothing has been confirmed, and we suggest moving forward with the current dates of implementation to avoid being caught unprepared.
Specific to Publishing
Only a company putting the product on the EU market (often the distributor) has to file a Due Diligence Statement (DDS). But everyone in the supply chain must share the information needed for that DDS.
Publishers: Need to prove that their products comply with the EUDR so that a DDS can be submitted before a product is placed on the EU market. ONIX can be used to communicate the required information.
Printers:Â Need to ensure paper being sold in the EU meets EUDR requirements (communicate geolocation data for DDS).
Paper Mills:Â Need to trace the origins of raw materials and prove that the forests they source from are managed sustainably (communicate geolocation data for DDS).
Non-EU Organizations Trading in the EU
If you are an organization outside the EU, EUDR will not apply directly to you because only organizations placing a product on the EU market are monitored for compliance. However, if you have trading partners in the EU, your participation in their compliance is essential.
For non-EU publishers, you are likely neither an operator nor a trader; however, it is probable that your downstream supply chain partners are operators placing products on the market for the first time and will require information to be able to submit a DDS for your products.
If the EU distributor is the first operator to place the product on the EU market, the publisher just needs to provide the relevant data for the DDS to the EU distributor.
In the case that your supply chain partner in the EU is asking for DDS before ordering, you (the publisher) will need to submit the DDS yourself. In order to do this, you must acquire an EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification)Â in order to be able to submit a DDS through EU traces.
Resources
European Union
All the information about how to comply with EUDR.
Debunking myths around the EU Deforestation Regulation.
'The Information System' is a Registry of Due Diligence Statements and a specialized online tool that streamlines the creation of due diligence statements within your supply chains.
Livres Canada Books
This webinar looks at the scope and implications of the EUDR, what it means for publishers, distributors, and retailers inside and outside the EU, the critical need for transparent data collection and traceability in raw material sourcing, essential terms, deadlines, and compliance timelines, and how to enhance ONIX metadata to share key information required under the regulation.
Book Industry Communication (BIC)
A short, high-level overview of EUDR.
CPI
CPI's step-by-step guide to understanding and complying with EUDR.
BookNet Canada, BISGÂ and EDItEURÂ
Graham Bell (EDItEUR) discusses the impact of EUDR:
The responsibilities it places on publishers, distributors, and retailers both within and outside the European Union
The need for data collection and record-keeping about the sources of raw materials used in the book industry
How ONIX is used to communicate some of the key metadata required for compliance with the regulations
FSC
EDItEUR
(download the document and search within the Guide for ‘EUDR’)
Essential documentation on ONIX for EUDR
