What EUDR really means for your business as a supplier - and how to get ahead of it

The EU Deforestation Regulation is reshaping what European customers expect from their supply chains. Here is what companies already on the journey have learned, and what it means for you.

If you supply wood, timber, or any product containing regulated commodities to European customers, you have almost certainly started receiving new questions. Requests for geolocation data, demands for additional permits and certificates, more detailed mapping of where your materials originate.

These requests are not arbitrary. They are the early signal of a major regulatory shift: the EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR.

While much of the public conversation around EUDR focuses on EU operators - the importers, manufacturers and brands placing products on the EU market - the reality is that suppliers sit at the heart of compliance. Without high-quality data from suppliers, no operator can submit a valid due diligence statement. That creates both a challenge and a real commercial opportunity.

To understand what this means in practice, we spoke with companies across the supply chain who are already preparing. Their experiences reveal patterns that are highly relevant to anyone supplying into Europe today.

Your customers are under pressure - and that pressure flows upstream

Operators placing products on the EU market must now demonstrate that those products are deforestation-free and fully traceable back to the point of origin. That is a significant undertaking, and it is one they cannot accomplish alone.

Companies like Houtimport Best and TABS - timber importers and operators we work with - describe the operational complexity as substantial. Documentation arrives in multiple languages, in varied formats, sometimes handwritten. Geolocation data is often missing or incomplete. Matching materials to specific forest plots requires multi-tier supply chain mapping that simply was not required before.

‍"You can receive 140 documents from one supplier and still not know if you have everything required." -  Houtimport Best

That pressure does not stay with the operator. It flows upstream to you.

What this means practically: your European customers will increasingly ask for documentation that goes beyond what you may have provided before. If you are not ready to respond quickly and accurately, you risk losing shipments, damaging relationships, or  in the longer term losing access to European markets altogether.

What operators say about supplier responses

The companies we spoke to described supplier responses as falling broadly into three categories. Understanding which one you currently fall into is a useful starting point.

• Ready and responsive: Suppliers who respond quickly with accurate, complete information. These are the partners operators trust and prioritise.

• Willing but unclear on requirements: Suppliers who want to help but do not fully understand what is being asked. Often the largest group - and the most fixable.

• Slow or unresponsive: Suppliers who require repeated follow-up. Over time, operators begin to consider alternatives - especially as enforcement tightens.

As one company told us: "The biggest challenge is not willingness. It is understanding. Suppliers often want to help, but they don't always know what information is required or how to provide it."

This is an important framing. Most suppliers who are struggling are not refusing to engage - they simply have not yet been given the clarity they need. That is something both operators and suppliers can work on together.

The specific information your customers will ask for

Based on our work across the supply chain - and informed by enforcement activity already underway under the existing EU Timber Regulation - there are clear patterns in what operators need from suppliers.

• Geolocation data: Digital GeoJSON maps from forest management organisations. This is consistently the biggest gap.

• Valid permits and licences: Regulators are checking timeliness and completeness, not just whether documents exist.

• Material flow documentation: Clear visibility from forest through primary and secondary manufacturing to the shipment.

• Complete, organised records: Documents that arrive accurately, consistently, and in a format operators can actually use.

Carl Ronnow, a hardwood supplier operating across three continents who has invested heavily in certification and traceability systems, identifies geolocation data as the single most critical requirement: "It is critical to obtain digital GeoJSON maps directly from forest management organisations so that a deforestation-free analysis can be conducted."

If you have not yet mapped your source plots and obtained verified geodata, this is the place to start.

This is not just a compliance burden - it is a competitive advantage

Here is something that gets lost in most conversations about EUDR: suppliers who invest in traceability and documentation are already differentiating themselves commercially.

Carl Ronnow put it directly: "Traceability builds trust with customers and helps us maintain long-term business relationships." Europe is a major revenue market, and maintaining access to it means being the supplier that operators can rely on, not the one they are trying to work around.

Winter & Company, who operate as both a supplier and an EU operator, describe EUDR not as a burden but as a strategic opportunity. By investing early in compliance, they have strengthened their reputation and built greater trust with customers. That proactive approach is already setting them apart from competitors.

Operators also make clear that replacing suppliers is not a simple solution. Many supply relationships have developed over decades. There are costs, quality risks, and long sourcing timelines involved in switching. The preference, consistently, is to help existing suppliers meet the standard, not to find new ones. But that goodwill has limits.

"Once suppliers understand the bigger picture, they're more willing to share the information."

— Timber & Building Supplies (TABS)

Understanding the bigger picture also means understanding the practical benefits to your own business: smoother shipments, faster customer approvals, reduced risk of documentation queries holding up orders, and in some cases better access to trade finance.

How to start building readiness now

The companies we spoke to were consistent in their advice for suppliers beginning this process. The steps are straightforward, even if the execution takes time.

• Understand what you will be asked for: If you supply timber, wood products, or materials containing regulated commodities, start by reviewing what documentation you currently hold and where the gaps are — particularly around geolocation data.

• Obtain verified geolocation data from your forest sources: This is the requirement most operators report as the hardest to fill, and it takes time to obtain from forest management organisations. Begin this process now.

• Organise your documentation centrally: Carl Ronnow notes that one of the biggest advantages of investing in traceability systems is the ability to respond quickly when customers request documentation. Having information centralised means you can act, rather than search.

• Engage proactively with your customers: If your European customers have not yet raised EUDR with you, they likely will. Being the supplier that raises it first — and demonstrates readiness — positions you far better than waiting to be chased.

• Do not underestimate the time involved: Every company we spoke to said the process took longer than expected. Starting now, rather than when requests become urgent, is the single biggest advantage you can give yourself.

How Interu helps suppliers prepare

Interu is a traceability platform designed to help both operators and suppliers manage the data, documentation, and supply chain mapping that EUDR requires. For suppliers, Interu makes it easier to upload and organise documentation, respond to customer requests efficiently, and demonstrate readiness in a format that operators and regulators can verify.

Companies already using Interu describe it as making a genuinely complex process manageable. Giving them visibility over what information is needed, where gaps exist, and how to close them systematically.

Get in touch with the Interu team to learn how we can support your EUDR preparation. You can anslo download the full customer guide where these insights are extracted from here.