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Counsel | Legal Partner to CSOs and Sustainability Teams | ESG & Sustainability | Regulatory Compliance | Ex-Nike, AT&T | Public Speaker on Legal ESG

Wondering how seriously you should take traceability and when you should begin to make investments? We are seeing real time how important investments in traceability are to meet ESG regulatory compliance. Let's take a look at what has happened with the EU Deforestation Regulation. For those unfamiliar, EUDR seeks to reduce the impact of deforestation by requiring that companies be able to trace certain commodities (coffee, rubber, wood, leather, beef, etc.) back to plots of land and prove that there was no deforestation. In the last months, we've seen the outcry regarding the onerous requirements of EUDR become fever pitch. Companies continue to lobby for delays, the US has joined the chorus, and the largest party in Europe seems sympathetic to companies that will not meet compliance on January 1, 2025. With months to go before compliance, companies are struggling because they lack the transparency and data necessary to trace the origins of their products and do not have enough time to do the work by January 1. From my experience in regulatory compliance, most companies start their compliance journey around 6-8 months before they need to comply. As experts will tell you, that timeline is insufficient to meet compliance when you need traceability through a global tiered supply chain. With 6 months to go, the only companies that can make the deadline are those who have made investments that give them a head start at being able to collect the data needed. What's the lesson? Without traceability investments, meeting ESG regulatory requirements can become a significant challenge, especially if you do not start your compliance efforts early enough. In their essence, most ESG regulations require some traceability in supply chains (DPP, EUDR, UFLPA, EU Forced Labor, marketing claim substantiation etc.) because they require companies to assess, report and mitigate the impact of their products on people and the environment. Companies that have invested in traceability are simply better positioned to comply with future regulations. And investors take note - companies who have made traceability investments not only will have reduced compliance costs, but also stand to increase their market share if their competitors cannot comply. As Churchill said, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." To be more prepared for the next regulation, we should learn from EUDR, and get ready to meet compliance by designing a traceability strategy that will set companies up for compliance and success in the future. If you need help designing such a strategy, please reach out. https://lnkd.in/gvNV-RCG #ESG #Sustainability #Traceability #SupplyChain #Compliance #EURegulations #Deforestation #BusinessEthics #CorporateResponsibility #SustainableBusiness

EU Should Delay Deforestation Regulation, Senior Lawmaker Says

EU Should Delay Deforestation Regulation, Senior Lawmaker Says

bloomberg.com

Hugo Muñoz Ureña

Experto en Derecho y Legislación Alimentaria ⎮👉 Revisa las novedades sobre la trazabilidad alimentaria (👇 vínculo)

2w

The issue of traceability is definitely gaining new momentum. In the food industry, in addition to traceability itself, there are new technologies, recent changes in reference legislations such as those of the United States and Canada, everything related to due diligence and dual materiality... In short, this second half of the decade will require us to relearn and readjust many aspects. For the Spanish-speaking public, Inida and Passe-partout have made available a specialized course on the Udemy platform, entitled "Food traceability: legal protection and value asset", which can be consulted by following this link: https://www.udemy.com/course/trazabilidad-alimentaria-proteccion-legal-y-activo-de-valor/?referralCode=6D5FDC7B5EED1A606F82

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Christine Uri

Founder of ESG for In-house | Creator of the Minimum Viable Report for ESG | I help in-house counsel meet client and investor expectations for ESG without overspending.

2w

Dominique Chantale Alepin given that most companies start their compliance work 6-8 months before a regulation comes into effect - I question how much the delay companies seek will help. Why wouldn't they just delay again and end up in the same spot? It seems to me that the better path is to push through.

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Dr. Eberhard Witthoff

Connecting Risk Management, Compliance and Insurance - with a current focus on EUDR 🌳🪵

2w

I couldn’t agree more Dominique Chantale Alepin. Traceability (and digitalisation) of the supply chain is essential, and yes it is sometimes a painful, long journey, but when it is done it is also a competitive advantage.

Ron Volpe

Enabling value-based supply chains for people and the planet

2w

Great post Dominique Chantale Alepin, I agree 100% with this entire post. Thank you for sharing. Nick Vyas Sid Vyas Maneesh Apte

Scott Barger

Hospitality Industry Headhunter with a four-decade track record of Thought Leadership and Innovation. Chief Risk Officer for Phoenix Partners. Delivering Executional Certainty.

2w

Enjoyed this very much Dominique Chantale Alepin Thank you #Sustainability

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