8 Over the past two decades, transporters within NCT’s supply chain have evolved from basic service providers to strategic role players, essential to value creation and compliance. As part of the evolving landscape, the current focus has shifted towards EUDR and Chain-of-Custody (CoC), reflecting a significant transformation in roles and responsibilities for transporters in the NCT supply chain. Transporters are now required to align with increasingly stringent regulations aimed at promoting sustainability and traceability within the supply chain. The EUDR regulation is aimed at reducing the European Union’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation. EUDR compliance is now a mandatory requirement for trading with Sappi Forests and Mondi. Furthermore, meeting these regulations and compliance is crucial for all our markets to support sustainable, legal timber trade. This involves providing detailed documentation and traceability reports throughout the supply chain, of which transport plays a pivotal role. Similarly, the CoC standards ensure that timber and related products are tracked from their origin through the entire supply chain to the end user. Transporters must maintain proper documentation, implement robust tracking systems, and ensure compliance to maintain CoC. Looking back at how the transport function has evolved, we can gain further insight into how NCT’s supply chain needs have changed over the years. This highlights our transition from past practices to a more integrated and compliancedriven approach. Source: M Bepat, 2024 A Transporter perspective on CoC – Merisha Bepat – Business & Logistics Analyst – 2000-2008: The Transactional Era Few Transporters In the early 2000s, NCT collaborated with a handful of transporters. The primary focus during this period was on the physical movement of timber, with operations being largely transactional. Transporters were responsible for delivering timber from farm to mills, emphasising efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The supply chain was characterised by: • Fragmentation: Logistics tasks were focused through one central point • Manual Processes: Operations relied heavily on manual processes with little to no scheduling • Basic Coordination: Communication between NCT and transporters was straightforward, delivery from farm to mill.
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