Vietnam’s June 2018 supplementary decree, designed to bolster enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), marked a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to assure international markets of the legality of its timber exports. For logging companies and wood product exporters, the decree introduced new obligations that required greater transparency in sourcing and more rigorous documentation at every stage of the supply chain. Ensuring compliance meant adapting internal systems and processes to align with both domestic rules and overlapping foreign regulations, including the U.S. Lacey Act.
Central to this compliance effort was the use of open data provided by the Vietnam Forest Administration. The administration’s permit database offered an authoritative record of legally approved harvests, including details such as permit numbers, concession locations, species logged, and authorized volumes. Logging companies were advised to build automated routines for checking each consignment of timber against this database. By embedding this step into procurement workflows, firms could ensure that all harvested wood destined for export met the legal sourcing requirements stipulated in the supplementary decree.
For many exporters, the challenge extended beyond Vietnam’s borders. Wood products often move through complex trade networks, with shipments subject to the requirements of multiple jurisdictions. The U.S. Lacey Act, which prohibits trade in illegally sourced plant products, posed a parallel obligation. To address this, companies were guided to cross-reference their timber shipment data against the Lacey Act’s open compliance database. This process typically involved verifying species declarations, source countries, and supply-chain documentation submitted at the time of U.S. import entry. Building a unified compliance workflow that accommodated both EUTR and Lacey requirements became a priority for firms seeking to safeguard market access.
A standard workflow emerged among companies committed to best practices. It began with a legality check of harvest permits against the Vietnam Forest Administration database, followed by matching shipment data—such as bill of lading details and supplier declarations—with entries in the Lacey Act system. Discrepancies triggered internal reviews and corrective actions before goods left port. Many companies invested in software tools or platforms that facilitated these cross-checks automatically, reducing human error and accelerating the clearance process.
Beyond meeting regulatory obligations, firms increasingly recognized the value of transparency in building stakeholder trust. To this end, companies were encouraged to publish an annual timber legality compliance report. This report typically outlined the company’s sourcing practices, summarized key metrics—such as the percentage of exports verified through the permit system—and disclosed any incidents of non-compliance along with remediation steps taken. Some firms went further, publishing interactive maps or dashboards showing the geographic origin of timber supplies, linked back to permit data where feasible.
Drafting such reports required careful coordination across legal, procurement, and sustainability teams. The most effective reports were those that balanced technical detail with accessibility, providing enough information to satisfy auditors and NGOs while remaining comprehensible to customers and the general public. Narrative elements that described the company’s continuous improvement efforts or collaboration with certification bodies helped to contextualize the data and demonstrate genuine commitment to legal and sustainable sourcing.
Vietnam’s supplementary decree and its alignment with EUTR principles underscored the increasingly global nature of timber legality assurance. For companies operating in this space, the era of opaque supply chains was drawing to a close. Open data, digital compliance tools, and proactive disclosure were becoming the hallmarks of responsible operators, and those who adapted quickly stood to benefit not just through regulatory compliance, but by strengthening their reputation in competitive export markets.