Intergraf, the association representing Europe’s printing industry, has called for a postponement of the EU Deforestation Regulation, citing significant operational challenges associated with the legislation’s due diligence obligations. While acknowledging the European Commission’s effort to introduce the “downstream operator” category with reduced responsibilities, Intergraf said the changes require more time for analysis by stakeholders, policymakers, and member states. With the compliance deadline of 30 December 2025 approaching, the organisation said meaningful preparation is becoming increasingly complex.

The association noted that 95% of the industry’s 100,000 companies employ fewer than 20 people and would face a substantial burden as DDS reference numbers and declaration identifiers accumulate along the value chain. Based on earlier estimates from the paper sector, a single printed book can involve up to 300,000 forest plots, creating an enormous volume of identifiers. Intergraf said the processing, allocation, and transmission of such data is not feasible and questioned whether this approach would deliver meaningful environmental benefits.

Intergraf is urging the Commission to remove the requirement to transmit individual DDS reference numbers and instead adopt aggregated traceability through supplier and customer records, including name, address, and EORI number where applicable. The association also warned that staggered compliance dates for large, medium, small, and micro-enterprises do not reflect supply chain realities, because companies are interdependent, smaller operators would still need to comply immediately to maintain business relationships.

To address these concerns, Intergraf is calling for a stop-the-clock mechanism that would pause the implementation timeline and allow a comprehensive assessment of the regulation’s impact. The organisation said the review should focus on identifying simplification measures that maintain the EUDR’s core environmental goal of preventing deforestation, which the print industry strongly supports, while ensuring the obligations are workable for the companies expected to comply.