[[{“value”:”Image: Rainforest Alliance
While some industry groups are calling for delays to the new EUDR, Rainforest Alliance continues to help coffee-supply chain partners prepare for the legislation. The NGO explains why it believes backing the EU Commission is imperative.
In June 2024, seven members of International Coffee Partners (ICP), a consortium of European coffee companies, called for the delay of the European Union (EU)’s incoming Regulation of Deforestation Free Products (EUDR), which is due to come into effect for most businesses on 30 December 2024 and for micro and small enterprises on 30 June 2025.
In their statement, ICP members Delta Cafés of Portugal, Franck of Croatia, Joh. Johannson of Norway, Lavazza of Italy, Löfbergs of Sweden, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe of Germany, and Tchibo of Germany affirmed their general support for the objectives of the EUDR, which will require certain products, including coffee, bound for the EU to meet new deforestation rules relating to the land from which they are produced. Yet, the ICP members stressed that smallholder farmers need more time to prepare for the incoming regulations and will, as it stands, suffer adverse effects from being excluded from EU markets.
The members said this exclusion would be: “not because they grow their coffee on deforested land, but because they lack the necessary data.” The group believes the consequence of this could be farms shifting their sales to countries outside the EU, which could counter the European Commission’s goal of reducing the risk of deforestation.
ICP wasn’t the first body to push for an extension: many industry consortiums and countries involved in the production of products included in the legislation (cattle, cocoa, wood, coffee, oil palm, rubber, and soya) have highlighted their concerns. Amongst the push back, international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Rainforest Alliance has urged the EU Commission to reject calls to delay or dilute EUDR, signing a letter with 36 other NGOs cementing their support.
“The Rainforest Alliance has supported the EUDR since its inception and put in years of advocacy and consulting work, often partnered with other NGOs,” says Rainforest Alliance Coffee Sector Lead Miguel Gamboa.
“EUDR is an important milestone in the fight against deforestation and forest degradation. Stopping deforestation has been at the heart of the Rainforest Alliance’s mission since its founding more than 35 years ago. We do this by working with farmers, forest communities, scientists, governments, companies, and citizens to cultivate more sustainable rural economies.”
Gamboa says Rainforest Alliance understands there is uncertainty in the industry right now. Yet, he calls for companies not to scale back on purchases from smallholder coffee farmers but instead support them in meeting the deadline.
“Companies are worrying about additional costs and bureaucracy. However, once the legislation is in effect and farms and companies have made sure they are compliant it will be a routine task,” he says.
“We at Rainforest Alliance are promoting that companies should not see EUDR as a mere ‘checking the box’ exercise, ignoring the underlying causes of deforestation, especially widespread poverty among smallholder farmers. This is why we are calling on companies not to let this fall on the shoulders of farmers, but to take responsibility for the actors in their supply chain.”
Image: Rainforest Alliance
With EUDR requirements being closely aligned with the approach embedded in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program, the NGO’s teams across the world are working to support farmers and supply chains to ensure they are ready for the changes.
“As leaders in combating deforestation, we are primed to leverage the full potential of our systems and offerings to help certified cocoa and coffee supply chain partners show compliance with EUDR requirements, at no extra cost,” says Gamboa.
“Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee farmers can opt-in to specific criteria that align with EUDR requirements in the Rainforest Alliance Certification Platform (RACP). This allows companies to source from participating farms, trace ingredients through their supply chains, and leverage farm data by the Regulation’s deadline to prove they have a system in place to assess and mitigate deforestation risks in their supply chains, supporting them to make a big leap towards full compliance.”
According to Gamboa, the NGO’s teams are fast-tracking the adjustments needed to ensure its systems and tools can support companies’ EUDR needs. Certified farmers can select criteria that aligns with EUDR requirements in the RACP, while companies sourcing Rainforest Alliance-certified products will have the option to identify certified farms that have selected the EUDR criteria in the platform.
One month before ICP’s call to delay the legislation, the first shipment of EUDR-ready coffee verified by Rainforest Alliance arrived in Europe, the result of a partnership between the NGO and High Range Coffee Curing in India.
Zaidan M Saly, Director of High Range Coffee Curing, believes the certification marked a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to sustainable farming practices and environmental stewardship.
“We are thankful to Rainforest Alliance for guiding us on EUDR compliance. The team gave us enough time to have in-depth knowledge on implementation of various clauses related to EUDR in the Rainforest Alliance certification standard,” he says.
Image: High Range Coffee Curing
Outlining the steps High Range Coffee Curing had to undertake to become compliant, Saly says the first was getting to grips with the EUDR requirements, the second mapping the sourcing areas and documenting the supply chain, and the third training the farmers on sustainable principles.
“The greatest challenge during the process was accurately mapping the farms, this was due to the lack of network availability in remote areas,” he says.
“Before the implementation of EUDR, we were already in the system of implementing the Rainforest Alliance certification standard. This brought us the habit of proper documentation, collecting proper geo data and polygons, and knowledge in biodiversity, deforestation, and encroachments. Therefore, it was not difficult for us to implement the couple of additional clauses in EUDR.”
While the Indian raw-coffee processor’s 4C Certification laid the groundwork for its sustainable practices, Saly says Rainforest Alliance certification brought additional benefits such as biodiversity conversation, integrated pest management, soil health, and water management.
“Rainforest Alliance certification emphasised the protection and promotion of local biodiversity, and as a result we created buffer zones around natural water bodies,” he says.
“Improving quality, yield, and soil health takes time, but we are already seeing farmers adopting the Good Soil & Nutrient Management and Integrated Pest Management practices as per the Rainforest Alliance certification standard. For example, we are confident our coffee does not have any banned chemicals and there are proven facts from external laboratory tests from our buyers.”
Rainforest Alliance is also working to aid farmers and companies that aren’t certified by its program. The NGO has developed a Deforestation Risk Assessment offering for companies buying non-Rainforest-Alliance-certified coffee and cocoa, which will be launched in the second half of 2024.
“With this offering, we aim to support more companies in their journey to compliance, but more importantly, to also reach non-certified farmers so their products can still be sold on the EU market,” says Gamboa.
“We understand EUDR is challenging, especially for smallholder farmers, which is why it is important companies support them. Certified farms do have a head start, but we aim to support more companies in their journey to compliance.”
This article was first published in the September/October 2024 edition of Global Coffee Report. Read more HERE.
The post Rainforest Alliance on why backing EUDR is imperative appeared first on Global Coffee Report.
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