Many timber businesses have invested in certifications over the years. That is good – and it also helps with the EUDR. But it pays to understand exactly where a certificate works and where its limits lie. Otherwise a false sense of security can arise.
1. The core message
Certificates do not replace the EUDR obligation. They can lower the risk and simplify the risk assessment – but the due diligence itself, including geolocation data and the due diligence statement, remains in place.
The EUDR requires its own, product-specific proof: deforestation-free after 31 December 2020 and produced legally. A voluntary certificate is a strong indicator – but not an automatic free pass.
The reason lies in the logic of the regulation: it does not require the general trustworthiness of a business, but proof for each specific consignment and plot. A certificate confirms a process; the EUDR asks for a result for a particular piece of timber. The two can work together, but they do not map onto each other one to one.
2. FSC and PEFC
FSC and PEFC are the two most widespread systems for sustainable forest management. They demonstrate that forests are managed according to certain ecological and social standards, and they ensure traceability through chain-of-custody models. For the EUDR these are helpful building blocks: a certified supplier usually has better data and more transparent processes, which makes your risk assessment easier.
In concrete terms, a certificate can serve as additional evidence in the risk assessment: it shows that an independent body has reviewed the management, and can thus provide indications of legal origin and orderly structures. In the best case this shortens the effort of your own enquiries – but it does not replace them, because the certificate is not tailored to the EUDR criteria.
3. Why they are not enough
- Different purpose: FSC/PEFC assess sustainable management, not the EUDR criteria specifically (deforestation-freeness from the cut-off date, legality under the law of the country of production).
- No geolocation guarantee: A certificate does not automatically supply the geographic coordinates per plot of production that the EUDR requires.
- Your own statement is still needed: You must carry out the submission via TRACES NT independently of the certificate.
- Different cut-off date: Certification standards are not necessarily aligned with the EUDR cut-off date of 31 December 2020.
A common misunderstanding is the assumption that a "mixed certificate" or a percentage-based certification of the supply chain automatically covers every individual batch. The EUDR, however, requires a link to the specific plot of production – and a mass-balance model alone cannot establish that. This is precisely where the reach of many certificates ends for EUDR purposes.
4. FLEGT licences: the special role
It is different with FLEGT licences. FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) is not a voluntary sustainability label but a state licensing system based on partnership agreements between the EU and timber-exporting countries. A valid FLEGT licence certifies the legality of the timber at state level and can simplify the assessment of the legality criterion. It thus holds a special position – but it does not fully replace the proof of deforestation-freeness and the remaining due diligence either.
The difference from FSC and PEFC is therefore structural: FLEGT starts from the law of the country of production and is carried by intergovernmental agreement, whereas FSC/PEFC are awarded by private organisations. For your practice this means: if a supplier sources timber from a country with a functioning FLEGT system, the legality criterion is usually well evidenced. You still have to provide proof of deforestation-freeness via geolocation data and the formal statement.
In short: FSC/PEFC = voluntary, risk-reducing. FLEGT = state-backed, effective above all for legality. Both help, neither replaces the EUDR.
5. How to use certificates correctly
- Include certificates as evidence in your risk assessment
- Still obtain geolocation data per plot of production
- Document legality and deforestation-freeness separately
- Submit the due diligence statement via TRACES NT
- Archive all records for five years
The economic value of certificates therefore lies less in the "elimination" of obligations than in acceleration: certified supply chains are usually better documented, the risk assessment comes out more clearly, and queries become rarer. Anyone who already buys certified should channel this head start deliberately into the EUDR documentation rather than giving it away.
The EUDR guide shows exactly how the risk assessment works. It gets practical in the guide EUDR for sawmills and on the topic of geolocation – point or polygon?