As companies prepare for the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the discussion has shifted from "What is EUDR?" to "How do we actually achieve compliance?"
During last month's EUDR Readiness Briefing webinar, a question highlighted this change:
"What is the process for linking polygons to a Due Diligence Statement (DDS)? Since shipment frequency varies, some polygons might be associated with multiple DDS."
It’s a question many importers, traders, manufacturers, and downstream operators are asking as they prepare for compliance.
The answer highlights one of the biggest operational challenges of EUDR: managing geolocation data at scale while maintaining complete traceability throughout the supply chain.
Before covered products are placed on – or, in some cases, made available within – the EU market, operators are required to submit a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) through the EU’s Information System.
A DDS confirms that the operator has completed the required due diligence and determined that the products present no more than a negligible risk of non-compliance.
Preparing a DDS requires organizations to bring together information from across their supply chains, including:
For many organizations, collecting this information is only half the challenge. Maintaining it accurately over time is where implementation becomes significantly more complex.
In many cases, yes.
A geolocation polygon represents the land where a commodity was produced – not a single shipment. If multiple shipments originate from the same production area, the same polygon may legitimately be referenced across multiple Due Diligence Statements, provided it accurately represents the origin of the commodities in each shipment.
The key is to ensure that each DDS maintains a clear, auditable link between:
Organizations should also ensure they have governance processes to maintain the quality and currency of polygon data over time. As suppliers, sourcing patterns, or production areas change, geolocation records should be reviewed and updated accordingly.
Rather than treating polygons as one-time files attached to shipments, many organizations are creating centralized geolocation libraries that can be referenced consistently across multiple transactions while maintaining appropriate traceability.
Early EUDR discussions focused heavily on obtaining GPS coordinates.
Today, organizations are realizing that the larger challenge is managing those data points over months or years of ongoing procurement.
Questions we’re hearing include:
Organizations that are progressing successfully with EUDR implementation tend to focus on building repeatable processes rather than managing compliance one shipment at a time.
A scalable approach typically includes:
As EUDR implementation accelerates, success will depend less on understanding the regulation and more on operational execution.
Organizations need reliable processes for collecting supplier information, managing geolocation data, maintaining traceability, documenting risk assessments, and preparing Due Diligence Statements efficiently across thousands of products and suppliers.
Solutions such as Forest Trackt® are designed to help organizations streamline these workflows by centralizing supplier data, geolocation information, traceability records, and due diligence documentation in a single platform—helping compliance teams reduce manual effort while improving visibility across their supply chains.
Learn more about ResourceWise's EUDR compliance solution:
Every month, our EUDR experts answer practical implementation questions from companies navigating compliance—from geolocation management and Due Diligence Statements to supplier engagement, traceability, and evolving regulatory guidance.
Join our next EUDR Readiness Briefing Series webinar on July 14, at 9:00AM EST, to hear the latest regulatory updates, implementation best practices, and answers to live audience questions from compliance professionals across the forest products supply chain.