The International Coffee Organization (ICO) and its Coffee Public Private Task Force (CPPTF), held a webinar on 24 April on the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Supply Chains (EUDR), gathering over 260 participants from across the coffee sector along with representatives from European Union (EU).
The aim was to debate the new regulatory framework developed by the EU to fight worldwide deforestation and forest degradation. The third event of its kind over the past 12 months, the ICO sought to raise awareness about the issue, as well as to highlight solutions and a way forward.
Deforestation and forest degradation are important drivers of global warming and biodiversity loss. As a major economy and commodity-consuming market, the EU took a decisive step towards forest protection with the EUDR, as agreed upon in December 2022 by the European Commission, Council and Parliament. The Regulation will prohibit the placing on the EU market of certain products that are linked to deforestation and/or not produced according to applicable local laws in producing countries.
“Combating deforestation should go hand in hand with creating incentives for a transition to a more sustainable use of natural resources, which will help preserve more intact forests, stimulate market opportunities for sustainable coffee products, and ensure responsible consumption,” says ICO’s Executive Director Vanúsia Nogueira.
Working alongside with the European Union, other coffee consuming and producing countries, the private sector, and key actors within the CPPTF, the ICO serves as a strategic partner and a central platform to ensure dialogue and action, advocating for a transition to a more sustainable and circular use of resources that contributes to the resilience of the coffee sector and environmental protection.
During the webinar, interventions focused on the need for concerted public and private action to increase resource efficiency, fundamentally shifting consumption patterns and production processes that support sustainable production and responsible consumption.
The webinar also represented an opportunity for the audience to share valuable examples of actions and tools already available and implemented in producer countries, such as Brazil and Costa Rica. They shared the efforts of supporting sustainable production and conservation, especially in at-risk landscapes, to foster conservation impact on the ground and build future-proof landscapes, adding value to their products in compliance with the necessary eco-transformation of the coffee supply-chain.
“The new EU regulation could be an opportunity to reinforce the cooperation between farmers, businesses and governments towards the adoption of a systemic approach to sustainable sourcing. As a depositary of the only trade instrument for coffee diplomacy and action, the International Coffee Agreement, the ICO and its Coffee Public Private Task Force will be in a position to assist all stakeholders and partners in bridging the gap between aspiration and implementation,” says Massimiliano Fabian, Chair of the International Coffee Council.
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