West Fraser: Advancing Sustainable Forest Management and EUDR Compliance with Orbify
West Fraser Europe Limited is a leading player in the wood panel manufacturing industry, with operations in the UK and Belgium. Sustainability lies at the heart of West Fraser’s operations, where the company focuses on responsible sourcing and compliance with stringent environmental regulations, particularly the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With a legacy of sustainable practices, West Fraser is committed to leading the way in compliance, traceability, and transparency in the forestry sector.
West Fraser’s Sustainable Forest and Wood Procurement Policy embodies its commitment to forest conservation and climate-smart practices. By balancing the need for timber with the health of ecosystems, the company employs best management practices that protect biodiversity, minimise soil disturbance, and safeguard water resources.
As part of its long-term sustainability objectives, West Fraser is developing a comprehensive program to monitor and measure deforestation and forest degradation across its supply chain by 2025. This initiative will ensure compliance with international certification schemes and promote the use of sustainable practices in soil and water management. Through transparency, innovation, and continuous improvement, West Fraser is setting a high standard for sustainability in the wood products industry.
When the EUDR was introduced, West Fraser expanded its established due diligence systems to meet the new requirements. Unlike EUTR that primarily focused on legal aspects such as country and species origin, the EUDR set more stringent criteria, requiring businesses to provide detailed forest-level tracking and assessments.
This shift presented a significant challenge for West Fraser’s supply chain management, working with a diverse range of suppliers—from large corporations to small, family-run harvesting businesses. Ensuring compliance across such a broad network required a solution that could collect accurate and comprehensive data without overwhelming their suppliers with complex regulatory language or processes.
At the same time, West Fraser needed a solution that could seamlessly integrate with their existing IT systems, particularly their in-house developed bespoke new Supplier Portal, to maintain operational efficiency while improving data transparency and regulatory compliance.
After evaluating a number of service providers, West Fraser selected Orbify due to its ability to offer a flexible and hybrid solution that fit perfectly with their needs. Orbify stood out by providing a system that was not only customizable but could also integrate into the existing supplier portal West Fraser had developed.
Orbify's solution enabled West Fraser to take control of the compliance process without imposing an unnecessary burden on their suppliers. The platform provided forest-level tracking using satellite imagery, allowing West Fraser to monitor deforestation and degradation risks. This feature was essential in meeting EUDR regulations, and it gave West Fraser the confidence that they could provide verifiable, traceable data about the origins of their wood materials.
Moreover, the supplier-friendly interface ensured that even small-scale suppliers could easily upload the necessary data without needing extensive knowledge of EUDR language. This accessibility was critical to West Fraser, whose ethos is to support all their partners across the supply chain.
Orbify also went above and beyond by offering detailed, custom-built reports for every forest assessment. These reports provided comprehensive information about each assessment, including satellite imagery, coordinates, and forest-level risk analysis. This feature allowed West Fraser to maintain full transparency with both auditors and suppliers, a key element of their sustainability strategy. Unlike other providers, Orbify was willing to tailor these reports to West Fraser’s needs, ensuring that they received the specific data and insights required to meet compliance and satisfy internal and external stakeholders.
• Flexibility and customization: Orbify was willing to tailor its platform to meet the specific needs of West Fraser, including providing detailed PDF reports for every forest assessment.
• Seamless API integration: Orbify’s API capabilities allowed for smooth data integration, which was critical during West Fraser’s IT development phase.
• Responsive support: West Fraser appreciated Orbify’s prompt support throughout the evaluation and integration process, especially during API testing.
• Supplier-friendly design: Orbify’s user-friendly design allowed West Fraser’s suppliers, including smaller businesses, to easily provide the necessary compliance information without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the regulations.
With Orbify’s support, West Fraser successfully launched a supplier portal that fully complies with the stringent requirements of the EUDR. Additionally, the integration of satellite imagery for deforestation monitoring has been transformative for West Fraser. This technology enables the company to proactively stay ahead of regulatory changes and confidently demonstrate its sustainability credentials to both customers and regulatory bodies.
By partnering with Orbify, West Fraser has significantly enhanced its ability to track and mitigate deforestation risks at the forest level, ensuring compliance with the EUDR and reinforcing their commitment to responsible sourcing.
(The pictures on this case study are not related to the operations or suppliers of West Fraser)
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