Coffee giant JDE Peet’s has teamed up with Enveritas to introduce a new initiative to assess and address coffee-related deforestation around the world.
JDE Peet’s plans to utilise satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and on-site verification by Enveritas to gauge the scale of coffee-related deforestation.
The initiative aims to enable local businesses, governments, NGOs, and farmers to address and mitigate the risks associated with deforestation in coffee-producing regions.
Established in 2016, Enveritas has developed a Responsible Sourcing Framework for several renowned companies in the coffee industry, such as JM Smucker, Blue Bottle Coffee, Tim Horton’s, and JDE Peet’s.
‘Delivering sustainable growth’
“At JDE Peet’s, we are committed to delivering sustainable growth that creates both shareholder return and societal value,” commented Fabien Simon, CEO of JDE Peet’s. “I am excited that this innovative new programme, which is fully aligned with the EU’s regulation on deforestation-free products, will ensure continued access to the EU market for the millions of smallholder farmers we work with around the world.”
JDE Peet’s recently concluded a pilot programme in Vietnam and has entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda. The company anticipates signing MOUs with more coffee-producing nations in the coming months.
The purpose of these agreements is to guarantee that coffee growers export coffee cultivated on land that hasn’t undergone deforestation since 2020.
Reforestation efforts
If the coffee fails to meet these criteria, JDE Peet’s will collaborate with local authorities, NGOs, and farmers to undertake reforestation efforts on the affected land.
Elsewhere, David Browning, CEO of Enveritas added that the business was “honoured to be a part of this innovative collaboration with JDE Peet’s, which brings together public, private, and philanthropic organisations to address deforestation in a manner which also protects smallholder farmers.”
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