Key Takeaways:
- Strategic Partnerships: JDE Peet has signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Peru, Honduras, and Rwanda to enhance compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and promote sustainable coffee cultivation.
- Innovative Monitoring Techniques: Utilizes high-resolution satellite imagery and AI to monitor and remediate deforested land in coffee-producing regions.
- Commitment to Sustainability: These agreements are part of JDE Peet’s broader strategy to achieve net-zero deforestation in its supply chain by 2025 and support its SBTi Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) targets.
Expansion of Deforestation-Free Initiatives
JDE Peet’s (EURONEXT: JDEP), a global leader in the coffee and tea sector, has significantly expanded its efforts to combat coffee-related deforestation by signing three new Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the governments of Peru, Honduras, and Rwanda. These MOUs are designed to ensure that all coffee sourced from these countries complies with the stringent requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to preserve biodiversity and reduce the effects of climate change caused by deforestation.
Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Coffee Production
The newly signed MOUs complement existing agreements with Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda, establishing a comprehensive framework for combating deforestation across JDE Peet’s supply chain. This initiative not only secures the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by ensuring their access to the European market but also enhances the coffee sector’s climate resilience.
Technological and Collaborative Efforts
In collaboration with Enveritas, a global sustainability platform, JDE Peet’s has developed a sophisticated method to identify and remediate coffee plots cultivated on land deforested after the 2020 cut-off set by the EUDR. This method combines:
- High-Resolution Satellite Imagery: To detect land-use changes and identify areas where deforestation has occurred without permission.
- Artificial Intelligence: To analyze data at scale and with high accuracy.
- On-Ground Verification: To ensure that data reflects real-world conditions and to implement corrective actions effectively.
Global Impact and Environmental Commitments
JDE Peet’s proactive measures have already led to the mapping of over 90% of the world’s coffee regions, significantly advancing the fight against deforestation. The company is also intensifying its efforts in areas at risk of deforestation by:
- Promoting Regenerative Agricultural Practices: Focusing on techniques that restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and improve water cycles.
- Enhancing Poverty Alleviation: Addressing the underlying economic issues that lead to deforestation to create sustainable communities.
Setting Industry Standards
JDE Peet’s commitments are part of its ambitious target to have a deforestation-free supply chain for its primary commodities: coffee, pulp and paper, palm oil, and cocoa by 31 December 2025. These efforts are aligned with its recently expanded Forest Policy, which emphasizes responsible sourcing and supplier compliance.
Corporate Sustainability Goals
Laurent Sagarra, Vice President of Sustainability at JDE Peet’s, emphasized the importance of these partnerships: “Deforestation and its impact on climate change pose a direct threat to our business and the global coffee supply. By collaborating with our partners and local governments, we are dedicated to growing coffee responsibly and securing the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.”
Photo by Rodrigo Flores on Unsplash
