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48 MATERIALS SEP/OCT 2026 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

Shutterstock design to evaluate the operational feasibility, constraints, and
governance prerequisites of blockchain technology for timber
traceability under the EUDR.
To ensure a robust, triangulated analysis, quantitative
trends derived from a broad industry-wide online survey
were utilised to inform, contextualise, and refine the focus

areas of a subsequent transdisciplinary, consensus-building
expert workshop.
and legal requirements necessary for its implementation in This overarching empirical framework was structurally
the forestry sector. anchored by 41 in-depth, guideline-based expert interviews
To address these gaps and systematically incorporate conducted across German-speaking Europe.
insights from foresters and industry stakeholders, this study By integrating qualitative depth with quantitative validation,
targets three interconnected research questions: this multi-stage approach systematically balances subjective
• RQ1: What are the operational potentials and socio- stakeholder perspectives against broader industry indicators
technical barriers of implementing blockchain within timber to derive scalable policy and technological recommendations.

supply chains under realistic forestry conditions? Building upon the conceptual foundation of a prior systematic
• RQ2: How can blockchain systematically interface literature review, this study employs an integrated multi-phase
with existing certification schemes and legal frameworks empirical framework. Each component was developed with
(specifically the EUDR) to ensure data integrity and mitigate a distinct functional objective to achieve comprehensive
the physical-digital oracle problem? methodological triangulation.
• RQ3: What socio-economic and governance prerequisites The four phases comprised:
are required to ensure equitable and widespread technology (1) literature-based synthesis and secondary research, which

adoption among fragmented forestry stakeholders? established the core theoretical framework, mapped current
The focus of this work is on the operational feasibility of technological capabilities, and identified critical research gaps;
blockchain in forestry and its suitability for the timber industry. (2) guideline-based expert interviews, designed to capture
Rather than viewing blockchain as a standalone, intrinsic granular operational insights from key supply chain actors and
solution, it is conceptualised as one component within a identify localised practical hurdles;
broader socio-technical system that encompasses physical (3) an anonymised online survey to validate preliminary
identification technologies, standardised data schemas, findings across a larger sample size and evaluate broader
governance rules, and regulatory integration. industry-wide consensus;
The core contribution consists of clarifying the conditions and (4) a transdisciplinary expert workshop enabling direct

under which blockchain can credibly improve timber supply dialogue between cross-sectoral stakeholders and facilitating
chain transparency under the EUDR, and identifying the the co-creation of governance requirements.
practical requirements enabling an interoperable, practice- To systematically synthesise these components, the outputs
oriented implementation. of each phase served as direct analytical inputs for the next.
Data collection and processing were governed by strict ethical
Multi-Method Analysis & Ethical Data Governance standards and data ownership principles.
This study adopts a sequential mixed-methods research No personal identifiers beyond necessary professional and