BLOG POST
Last edited: August 30, 2024
Published: June 3, 2024
Konstantinos Madias
Sustainability Copywriter
As the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) approaches, Orbify is here to help you ensure full compliance. The EUDR, a groundbreaking EU law effective June 29, 2023, and fully implemented by December 30, 2024, aims to prevent deforestation by prohibiting the import and export of products linked to deforestation. This regulation, part of the European Green Deal, mandates due diligence from companies to ensure their products do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation, significantly reducing the EU's impact on global deforestation by enforcing stringent supply chain transparency and traceability requirements.
Our new EUDR Tool provides comprehensive solutions, ensuring your business meets all EUDR requirements and maintains sustainable and ethical supply chains. Utilising accurate satellite data, our tool helps you achieve compliance with just a few clicks, making the process seamless. Below, we present the key features of our EUDR platform:
The first thing you will notice in our platform is an overview of the plot you want to examine for EUDR compliance. With just a few clicks, you can access detailed information about the location and plot specifics, ensuring you have all the necessary data at your fingertips.
Next, we assess the deforestation administration risk level using a three-tier benchmarking system as outlined in EUDR Article 29. This system classifies commodity-producing countries and regions as low, standard, or high risk. This classification helps regulators target checks on products from high-risk countries and allows operators to undertake simplified due diligence for products from low-risk countries. Orbify estimates the potential risk level of each country, state, or jurisdiction based on deforestation rates.
Additionally, our platform includes a compliance assessment with the EUDR Deforestation-Free requirement (Article 2). This involves screening the plot for forest cover presence as of December 2020 and identifying any deforestation occurrences since that period. The EC JRC Global Forest Cover benchmark dataset is used to identify forest presence within the plot in 2020. Additionally, the WRI DataLab Tropical Tree Cover Extent map is included, offering increased sensitivity to fragmented and urban forests and areas with low canopy cover.
Another feature of our EUDR template is the Forest Map Quality Screening. This screening identifies map limitations affecting the project plot, such as small project areas, steep slopes, and regions with low canopy cover trees. This assessment ensures accurate representation and addresses the challenges posed by the dataset's inherent constraints. Additionally, Sentinel 2 time series data is included to facilitate the visual examination of plot activities. Any inaccuracies in the map are reviewed in the forest map quality screening section, with flagged limitations requiring further accuracy checks.
Next, we verify Deforestation-Free compliance by screening the plot for any indicators suggesting non-compliance since 2020. The Global Forest Change dataset provides information on the location and date of significant deforestation events. This data is used to determine if forest loss occurred before 2020 (compliant) or after (non-compliant). Identification of large deforestation events before 2020 can indicate the conversion of forests to commodity plots in projects that meet compliance criteria.
In addition, various datasets and models are employed to detect plantations, verifying commodity production within the project area and signalling instances of conversion to agriculture.
Our platform also includes an evaluation for compliance with local laws (EUDR; Article 10). Datasets for Indigenous territories and protected areas are critical for identifying whether activities within a region require additional permissions to meet legal standards. This ensures that your project is compliant not only with EUDR regulations but also with local laws.
The EUDR risk assessment utilises specific indicators and datasets to evaluate the presence of deforestation or forest degradation within and around the project area. The following components form the basis of the analysis:
- Tree Cover Loss by Dominant Driver: This component illustrates the primary reasons behind tree cover loss within each 10 km grid segment of the project area, detailing the extent and severity of loss from 2001 to 2022.
- Perimeter Analysis: Focusing on deforestation and degradation within 100 meters of the project boundary, this analysis determines if activities on the plot may be causing deforestation or degradation beyond the plot boundaries. The evaluation relies on data from the Tropical Moist Forest dataset, spanning 2020 to 2021.
- Nearby Deforestation: This assessment identifies whether the project is situated within a 5 km radius of a deforestation hotspot or if significant forest loss and degradation have occurred in the vicinity. Projects in these locations are subject to heightened scrutiny due to their potential impact on surrounding forested areas.
By combining these comprehensive assessments, Orbify's EUDR Tool ensures your projects meet all regulatory requirements, helping you maintain sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains.
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