Official name: Regulation on deforestation-free products
Citation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2023 on deforestation-free products
Year / status: Enacted 31 May 2023. In force as EU regulation. Application: large and medium operators 30 December 2026; micro and small operators 30 June 2027 (micro/small already under EUTR: 30 December 2026).
What it does
Operators and traders placing in-scope commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, wood, and listed derived products) on the EU market, or exporting them, must show the goods are deforestation-free (cut-off 31 December 2020) and produced legally, with due diligence and geolocation. Repeals the EU Timber Regulation for the overlapping wood pathway. Country benchmarking and an Information System support checks.
Where it applies / status
In force as EU regulation. Commission pages (checked 19 Sep 2026) state application dates: large and medium operators 30 December 2026; micro and small operators 30 June 2027 (micro/small already under EUTR: 30 December 2026). Later delegated additions can have a further delayed product start. Status = enacted law with phased application: do not file under “Under consideration.”
Documented benefits or intended effects
Statutory aims: cut EU-driven deforestation/degradation and related emissions and biodiversity loss. Commission materials cite order-of-magnitude emission-cut estimates from the impact assessment: label those as intended/modelled, not measured 2026 outcomes.
Caveats
Due diligence shifts costs onto supply chains; leakage to other markets is a real risk. Delayed application means shelves must not say “already blocking every shipment today.” Not a substitute for producer-country land law or for Paris NDCs.
Sources
EUR-Lex official text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115; Commission deforestation-free products page.