EUDR and China: Creating Positive Market Signals for DCF Supply Chains

This 60-minute session, co-hosted by AFi, WWF and Rainforest Foundation Norway, will examine how emerging state-level traceability, MRV and compliance-screening systems can support the practical implementation of deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains.

As EUDR implementation approaches, and as companies reassess how to meet their DCF commitments, there is an opportunity to shift the conversation from risk exposure to credible pathways for action. Brazilian states such as Pará, Acre and Tocantins are developing systems that can improve visibility over production areas, legal compliance, traceability and forest-risk management. These efforts can help buyers, regulators, investors and downstream companies identify where real progress is taking place — and how responsible market demand can reinforce it.

The session will also bring in perspectives from FAIRR’s China engagement and Rainforest Foundation Norway’s investor work. While European regulation is creating a near-term compliance driver, China remains a critical demand-side market for Brazilian soy, beef and animal-feed supply chains. Investor engagement with Chinese agri-food companies therefore offers an important lens on how downstream actors are beginning to understand deforestation risk, supply-chain resilience, traceability expectations and the value of credible sourcing-region systems.

LCAW provides a timely platform to connect these agendas: state-level innovation in Brazil, evolving regulatory expectations in Europe, and investor engagement with China-facing value chains. By bringing these perspectives together, the session will explore how market signals from different geographies can better recognise and reward jurisdictions investing in traceability, monitoring and forest governance.

Core framing
State-level traceability, MRV and compliance-screening systems can help turn DCF expectations into implementable pathways. For these systems to scale, they must be understood and recognised by the markets they are designed to serve.

The session is designed for:
Downstream companies, retailers and brands with DCF or EUDR-related sourcing needs
Traders, importers and supply-chain actors seeking credible information from sourcing regions
UK and EU public authorities working on forest-risk commodity regulation and due diligence
Brazilian state government representatives
Civil society organisations working on traceability, EUDR, DCF implementation and forest governance
Financial institutions interested in jurisdictional or landscape-level risk reduction
COP30 and deforestation roadmap partners
Selected China-facing actors interested in verified DCF trade models

Panellists
Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) – Jeff Milder – Host / Opening
WWF Brazil – Jean Timmers – WWF Policy and Advocacy manager, Deforestation and Conversion-free Supply Chains
SEMA-AC – Leonardo Carvalho, State Secretary for the Environment of Acre (Brazil)
Rainforest Foundation Norway – Ingrid Tungen – Team leader deforestation free markets
WWF Indonesia – Aditya Bayunanda – Director of Policy and Advocacy
FAIRR Initiative — Changtong Huang — China Programme Head