JDE Peet’s has signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Peru, Honduras, and Rwanda as part of its initiatives to address coffee-related deforestation.
These agreements aim to secure ongoing access to the European market post-implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and promote climate change resilience within the coffee industry.
JDE Peet’s previously signed similar agreements with Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda. These efforts align with the company’s commitment to sustainability across its brands, including L’OR, Peet’s, Jacobs, Senseo, Tassimo, and Douwe Egberts.
EUDR compliance
The MOUs outline commitments to implement strategies ensuring all coffee meets the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
This includes identifying coffee plots grown on land deforested after the 2020 cut-off date and establishing protocols for remediation if any coffee is found to be non-compliant with the regulation.
JDE Peet’s said that it will collaborate with farmers and local partners to support reforestation efforts in affected areas, underscoring its commitment to sustainability in the coffee industry.
“Deforestation, and its impact on climate change, poses a threat to our business, as we look to buy high-quality coffee beans from around the world to delight our customers and consumers,” commented Laurent Sagarra, vice president sustainability at JDE Peet’s. “That is why JDE Peet’s is committed to working with our partners and governments to ensure we can grow coffee responsibly while helping to secure the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.”
Work with Enveritas
The coffee firm is working alongside Enveritas, a global sustainability platform, to use satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and on-the-ground verification to measure the extent of coffee-related deforestation. To date, more than 90% of the coffee grown in the world has been mapped using this system.
The new MOUs follow JDE Peet’s’ recent commitment to newly validated near-term and net-zero SBTi targets, including a specific SBTi Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) target.
Read more: Rainforest Alliance to support coffee, cocoa firms in achieving EUDR compliance
Want to learn more about why environmental sustainability is important to your business? Ensure www.sustainabilityonline.net is your go-to source.
