With new European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) set to kick in for large companies on December 31, 2024, and for smaller organizations June 30, 2025, industry associations in the U.S. and U.K. are alerting members about how to prepare for the new rules.
A recent briefing paper from BIC, the U.K. counterpart to the U.S.-based Book Industry Study Group (BISG), details how the new regulations will impact all members of the publishing supply chain who manufacture or sell books in the European Economic Area (EEA). In the U.S., BISG held an early September webinar, which provided an overview of EUDR and how the use of the ONIX standard may help industry players comply with the new regulations. And how EUDR will impact U.S. printers and paper suppliers will be discussed at the Book Manufacturers’ Institute Book Manufacturing Mastered meeting to be held October 1 in Boston.
As the BIC report notes, EUDR replaces European Union Timber Regulations (EUTR), and as part of that update, printed matter, which had been excluded from EUTR, is now part of the EUDR. The goal of EUDR is to prevent forest degradation by mandating that only “deforestation-free” products can be sold in the EEA, which includes the European Union and a small portion of Great Britain (primarily Northern Ireland), said Graham Bell of EDItEUR, which establishes and oversees international standards for the publishing industry, including ONIX.
Both BIC and Bell stressed that EUDR impacts every player in the book supply chain. All players will be responsible for providing detailed information about the location of every tree used to make paper was cut down since June 2023 (when EUDR was approved). Companies will also be responsible for making sure every kind of element in a particular book, ranging from pages to covers, can be traced back to its original source. This process, Bell repeatedly said, is “going to require a lot of recordkeeping.” The only escape from these requirements is if a book is made from 100% recycled material. But even here, if one part of the book is not made from recycled material, that part will need documentation, Bell advised.
The EU is creating a centralized database where all members of the book business can supply information. The ultimate goal of the process is to create a Due Diligence Statement that will enable authorities to see whether every element in a book comes from an acceptable source. “To comply with the regulation, Due Diligent Statements are going to be required with information passing down the supply chain,” the BIC report states. Bell noted that this process must be followed for every new ISBN.
While various entities will be required to supply data, the BIC report states that the “primary responsibility” for ensuring everything is correct, “lies with the company placing the product on the EU market.” Failure to comply with EUDR means offending books will be barred from the EU. Companies could also face fines.
Bell acknowledged that meeting the EUDR requirements is going to be a challenge. And much like the requirements for the European Accessibility Act—set to go into effect next June—not all regulations have been finalized. Bell expects training sessions on how to use the registry will begin in October, registration will begin in November, and the database will go live in December.
To help publishers and others comply with the EUDR, the Forest Stewardship Council has developed a guide to help organizations start planning for the implementation of EUDR. The BISG webinar where Bell explains how ONIX may help with EUDP implementation is available here.
