EUDR Draws Closer, Remaining Time Is an Opportunity to Strengthen Indonesia’s Rubber Industry Readiness

MEDAN, October 7, 2026 — The implementation of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is drawing closer. The remaining time until the end of December 2026 should be used by Indonesia’s rubber industry to strengthen supply-chain readiness, particularly in meeting the data and evidence requirements that European buyers or operators will use in their due diligence process.

For exporters in producing countries, readiness is not simply about having supporting documents. Exporters need to ensure that products shipped to Europe can be traced back to their production sources, supported by information on plantation locations, links between raw materials and their sources, production legality, and evidence that the land where rubber is produced has not undergone deforestation after December 31, 2020.

Therefore, an important task upstream is to strengthen plantation and supplier data. Geolocation information needs to be collected and validated, while every batch or volume intended for export must be traceable to its plantation sources. For land subject to specific requirements, location data may need to include the boundaries or polygon of the plot rather than merely a general area or location name.

The next critical aspect is legality and deforestation-free status. Exporters need evidence supporting the assessment that production complies with the laws of the country of origin and that the land where rubber is produced has not undergone deforestation after the EUDR cut-off date.

In practice, each shipment sent to the European Union may require data and evidence related to the goods in that shipment. This means readiness does not imply that a buyer will request the data only once and no longer need it afterward. Exporters must be able to consistently provide relevant information for each shipment, based on the raw materials and production sources associated with that particular shipment.

Readiness must also become part of the company’s operational processes. Supplier data, plantation locations, raw-material intake, production, batches and shipments need to be connected so that information for each shipment can be traced quickly and accurately. Data and documents also need to be properly organized, easily traceable and readily available when requested by buyers.

With the deadline approaching, Indonesian rubber exporters need to use this period as a time to mature their systems, rather than simply waiting for the regulation to take effect. The focus should be on ensuring that plantation and supplier data become more complete, geolocation becomes more accurate, the link between raw materials and shipments becomes clearer, and evidence of legality and deforestation-free production can be prepared and verified.

Ultimately, EUDR places the due diligence obligation on the party acting as the operator within the European Union supply chain. However, the ability of buyers or operators to meet those obligations depends heavily on the quality of data and evidence available from the country of origin. The more mature the readiness of Indonesian exporters, the better prepared the rubber supply chain will be to meet the requirements of the European market.