NZ forest industry collaborate to meet EU requirementsFriday 13 Jun 2025
Although this is an added cost to business, exporters view compliance with the EUDR as essential to maintain and grow our export of value-added wood products to the EU market, which currently sits at around $100 million per annum. To support our wood product exporters and growers the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) has established a cross sector Working Group. With the EUDR rules starting to apply from the 30 December 2025, good progress in terms of advancing their due diligence obligations, to ensure our export of wood products sold in the European Union and other relevant countries are deforestation-free, is being made by the industry. A central part of the progress has been the collaboration of forest growers, wood processors and government via the joint Wood Products EUDR Working Group. Some issues, such as sourcing the correct data from small block owners and working through the geolocation file requirements, are still needing further work, but overall companies are reporting that they are reasonably confident that they will be in a good position to meet the EUDR requirements come December 2025. On a positive note for our forest industry, recently the European Commission classified New Zealand as “low risk”, which means the benchmarking process concluded there is “sufficient assurance” that the production of wood products within New Zealand is not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. To make the EUDR process easier to navigate, an Interactive Starter Toolkit designed to assist wood product exporters and foresters affected by the EUDR is being developed. The toolkit, funded by industry, will provide a clear and accessible pathway for businesses to understand what EUDR entails, where to start, and how to implement the necessary data, systems, and processes for compliance. The toolkit will be delivered as a digital package featuring informative content, practical templates, visualisations, and embedded links to key resources. The final design will include a feedback loop to ensure both content accuracy and user-friendly design. Understanding the EUDR requirements will support EU market retention and growth in wood product exports, which will benefit all the forestry supply chain. In some cases, if the correct harvest data cannot be provided by the forest plot owner, then wood processors may need to adapt their sourcing strategies, prioritising log suppliers who can provide verified deforestation-free materials quickly and efficiently. At first glance the EUDR appears complex, but the best way to overcome any risks associated with the legislation and to ensure that our wood product exporters remain compliant, is for the forestry and wood processing industries to continue to work closely together on fulfilling the EUDR requirements. By taking the necessary steps to comply with EUDR, the New Zealand wood products industry can gain a market advantage in Europe and globally, which will further enhance our positive sustainable forestry and wood products reputation. Source: WPMA | ||
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