Achieve EUDR Compliance for Rubber

What is the Current Landscape of Rubber Production?

Thailand is the world’s leading producer of natural rubber, amounting to about 4,500 metric tons in 2020. Closely behind them are Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cote d’Ivoire.

True to this statistic, in 2020, 28 percent of the European Union’s natural rubber imports arrived from Indonesia. The second-largest exporter of natural rubber to the European Union was Cote d’Ivoire, which supplied 23 percent of imports.

How Will the EUDR Impact the Trade of Rubber Products?

Relevant products must be traceable to the farm plot by geolocations and polygons uploaded into EU information systems. Each origin will be benchmarked for risk and grouped into “low,” “standard,” or “high”-risk categories. 

The rubber sector must undergo significant changes to align with the new sustainability standards:

• Traceability Enhancement
  Rubber producers will implement tracking systems to ensure transparency and verify the origins of cocoa beans, ensuring compliance with regulations. This will build consumer trust and create new market opportunities for compliant producers.
• Opportunities for Sustainable Practices
  Rubber producers can access the European market by offering sustainably sourced, deforestation-free rubber. This promotes innovation in sustainable agriculture, enhancing soil health, biodiversity, and farmers’ livelihoods.
• Supply Chain
  Rubber producers and retailers must collaborate with suppliers to ensure responsible sourcing, investing in traceability technologies, farmer training, and long-term partnerships with compliant producers.
• Compliance Requirements
  Rubber producers and exporters must now provide detailed documentation proving that their rubber is not linked to deforested areas. EUDR on rubber production will provide strict compliance with deforestation-free sourcing.

What Gaps Need to be Addressed by Producers, Growers and Traders for EUDR Compliance?

A few challenges that could come out of the EUDR for rubber producers/traders include:

• Traceability and Transparency: Establish a clear and transparent supply chain to ensure that rubber is sourced from deforestation-free areas, including the maintenance of detailed records and documentation to prove compliance with EUDR requirements.
• Land Use and Deforestation Monitoring: Implement satellite and remote sensing technologies to monitor land use changes and ensure no deforestation occurs and adopt and enforce policies that commit to zero deforestation in rubber production.
• Regulatory Compliance: Understand and comply with all relevant EU regulations and standards related to rubber imports and regularly update practices and policies to align with evolving regulatory requirements.
• Country-Specific Regulations: Ensure that production is done in accordance with all country-of-origin regulations. 

Addressing these gaps will not only help in complying with the EUDR but also promote sustainable and responsible rubber production, benefiting both the environment and the industry.

How Do Certification Schemes Factor into This?

For organizations already certified to forestry schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), we offer an EUDR add-on module to help bridge the gap between certification and compliance. However, many certification schemes that include products with rubber do not directly address the EUDR compliance requirements.

How SCS Can Help

SCS can support clients with our comprehensive EUDR services by offering tailored solutions that address each aspect of the EUDR compliance process. Here’s how we can help:

EUDR Consulting Services 

• Corporate regulatory and implementation education and advisory
• Needs assessment and strategy development
• Due diligence system development and review
• Gap and risk assessment
• Commodity and value chain traceability
• Customized verification checklists

Compliance Assessments: Review and assessment of EUDR compliance of various players within your supply chain. 

Due Diligence Integrity Assessments: Review and assessment of EUDR due diligence statements (past or current). 

Self-Paced Training: Self-paced training on EUDR compliance for those in the coffee, wood, palm oil, cocoa, and other EUDR impacted industries.

With these services, SCS enables clients to not only meet but also exceed EUDR requirements, safeguard their reputation and ensure sustainable, deforestation-free practices across their supply chains.

For more information contact: EUDR Business Group