The European Commission, Parliament, and Member States have reached an agreement on amending the Deforestation Regulation in December 2025. The start of the application of the Deforestation Regulation will be postponed by one year for all operators and by one and a half years for micro and small operators.
The Commission will carry out a review to streamline the regulation by 30 April 2026. There will be significant amendments to the regulation and possible technical changes to EU Traces, which may result in reference numbers not being provided. As a consequence, Metsä Group may need to review the provision of reference numbers to customers.
Metsä Group is preparing for the implementation of the revised requirements in 2026, based on EU guidance. The necessary adjustments to Metsä Group’s systems will be carried out following the publication of the final regulation.
Metsä Group's operating model
The EUDR covers commodities such as wood in addition to certain other commodities identified in the Regulation. In the case of wood, the derived products such as pulp, sawn timber, paperboard, tissue paper and several other products are covered.
EUDR requires operators and traders to have a Due Diligence (DD) system in place to ensure that the products comply with the Regulation. Operators and traders are required to submit a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) in the EU TRACES system, operated by the European Commission.
The TRACES system assigns reference and verification numbers to the wood and derived products subject to the DD statement. These numbers must be then provided forward in the supply chain.
Metsä Group’s operating model is complient with the EUDR and the currently available versions of the guidance documents provided by the European Commission. Metsä Group continues to follow new versions of the official guidance from the European Commission, the national competent authorities and legislators, and adjusts its operating model if needed.
In our operating model, we will provide the EUDR Reference Numbers and related Verification Numbers for our customers.
Metsä Group will make information available to customers to assist with ascertaining that due diligence has been properly carried out when receiving the EUDR reference numbers. Metsä Group follows the legislative developments closely and continues its EUDR implementation plan accordingly. Metsä Group EUDR webpages will be updated on a regular basis.
