MEMPHIS, Tenn. – How do you trace the exact forest a piece of paper comes from?
That is the question a team at Sylvamo has been tackling while creating a process to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) before its Dec. 30 deadline.
EUDR aims to curb the European Union’s contribution to global deforestation and forest degradation by mandating traceability of relevant commodities to geo-localized land plots, ensuring compliance with local laws, and requiring operators to assess and mitigate any deforestation-related risks to a negligible level before placing products on the EU market.
Proactive Progress Toward Compliance
Since early 2024, Sylvamo has collaborated closely with suppliers, customers, industry partners and EU policymakers to prepare for full EUDR compliance. This includes pilot testing the EU TRACES system, where companies document compliance with EUDR, since December 2023 as one of only 100 companies selected to test submissions, enabling Sylvamo to gain early experience in shaping its compliance strategy while providing valuable feedback to regulators.
Introducing Tree Trace: A Custom-Built EUDR Solution
To meet EUDR’s technical requirements, Sylvamo developed Tree Trace, a custom-built, digital platform to streamline and safeguard the reporting process that meets due diligence objectives of the regulation for operators. Designed to serve the company’s customers and enable transparency, Tree Trace allows Sylvamo to:
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Onboard and manage EUDR-required data from suppliers
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Submit due diligence statement and geolocation data to EU TRACES
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Receive and securely store compliance information
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Share relevant data with customers
Learn more about Tree Trace and how Sylvamo will share data with customers in our June 2025 EUDR customer letter.
How Sylvamo Will Mitigate Risk
Sylvamo’s thorough risk assessment process and risk committee will review suppliers to prevent noncompliant fibers from entering the company’s supply chain. This includes issuing a questionnaire, verifying supporting documentation and conducting audits.
Learn more about the company’s due diligence system.
Dive Deeper
To help customers and stakeholders stay informed, we’ve created several resources:
