The electronic confirmation that the due diligence obligation has been met for a product. It is submitted before the product is placed on the market via the EU system TRACES NT and is assigned a reference number that is passed on along the supply chain.
Without a valid due diligence statement, an affected product may not be placed on the EU market or exported. It is therefore the visible outcome of the entire due diligence process.
Who has to submit a due diligence statement?
The statement is filed by the operator who places a product on the EU market for the first time – for example an importer, a forest owner making a direct sale of roundwood, or a business that imports timber itself. Anyone who merely resells goods that are already covered (a trader) or makes new products from them (a downstream operator, e.g. a sawmill or joiner buying covered timber) has, since the 2025 amendment, filed no statement of their own, but instead passes on the supplier's reference number and keeps it for five years.
What must the due diligence statement contain?
- Product details (HS code, description, quantity)
- Country of production and the geolocation coordinates of the plot of production
- Confirmation that the product is deforestation-free and was produced legally
- References to the underlying statements of upstream suppliers (reference numbers)
How is it submitted?
The statement is recorded electronically in the EU information system TRACES NT. The system issues a reference number and a verification number. You pass these numbers on to your customers when selling, so that they can refer to your statement. A step-by-step guide can be found in the article Completing the due diligence statement correctly.
Collective statement: For several similar deliveries from the same supplier you can submit a combined statement – often as an annual report. This reduces the effort considerably.
How long must it be retained?
All documents relating to the due diligence statement must be retained for five years and presented on request to the competent authority – in Germany the BLE.