EU Deforestation Regulations – Greenwashing or Sustainability?

European Union Deforestation Regulations and the Impact on The Coffee Industry

The European Union (EU) has introduced new rules to stop the import of products linked to deforestation, which is having a substantial impact on the coffee industry in Europe and around the world—and the law hasn’t even gone into effect yet. Under these rules, companies that bring coffee and a list of other commodity products into the EU will need to prove that their coffee wasn’t grown on land that was illegally cleared of forests or planted within native forests. They must also show that the coffee was grown in a sustainable way and has not contributed to any deforestation later than the year 2020.

These new rules mean that coffee producers, will have to follow strict guidelines. Large coffee producers might already have systems in place to track how their coffee is grown, but smaller farms will have a harder time meeting these new requirements and will lose the opportunity to access this market should they not comply. This will change how coffee is traded, with changing strategies on investments by importers, as producers, adjust to the EU’s expectations.

For coffee producers, the effects are both positive and negative. On the positive side, the rules could push for more sustainable farming and maybe open new markets for producers who follow through with these standards. However, smaller farms might struggle with the extra costs and effort needed to meet the new rules, which could make it harder for them to sell coffee to the EU. How well producers manage these changes will depend on the support they receive to help them adjust to the new regulations.

The EU is one of the largest consumers of coffee in the World, annually responsible for around one-third (33%) of the entirety of coffee produced on the planet. The 27 countries (195 in the World) make up a small 5.6% of the Global population.

Here’s some articles worth diving into, should you be interested in further reading on the subject;

EU to push ahead with EUDR despite protests

Deforestation Regulation Implementation

What North American Businesses should know

Dave’s Take;

The EU’s new deforestation rules may sound like a step toward sustainability, but in reality, they raise concerns about greenwashing and imposing Western ideals on developing nations. While no one wants deforestation, these rules seem more like headline-grabbing gestures than real solutions. They require detailed documentation proving that coffee isn’t linked to illegal deforestation—something many small producers in developing countries simply cannot provide.

Having visited many coffee farms, it’s clear that things are often very basic. Small farmers focus on growing their crops, not on sophisticated tracking systems. For them, meeting the EU’s requirements will be next to impossible. How is this helping them with “sustainable farming”? Instead of offering real support, these regulations create barriers, making it harder for small farmers to access the EU market.

Rather than promoting true sustainability, these rules appear to be about enforcing the EU’s version of environmental standards on developing countries, without considering the realities on the ground. If the goal is genuine sustainability, we need solutions that help farmers build better practices, not just more paperwork they can’t afford to complete.

Cole’s Take;

I get the thought map of the EUDR—we need to protect the World’s forests—though I think in practice this is bound to lead to large-scale corporations benefiting and the small holders getting crushed, both upstream and downstream in the supply chain… and hey, maybe that’s part of the idea, eliminate the ability for some to participate and therefore you can better control those who do.

There’s an incredibly demanding amount of governance paper work that needs to be done, which is ironic seeing as paper obviously contributes to deforestation…

In my opinion this is a classic show of political egos pushing short sighted agendas that look great on their personal resumes; however, these individuals won’t realistically need to see the project all the way through as their terms will end and the torch will get passed to the next person who gets voted in. Is someone really going to audit farms and ensure these standards are continuing to be upheld around the World, year after year? Long standing organizations such as Fair Trade Organic, or Rainforest Alliance, Frog Friendly can’t achieve their audit standards; how will the EUDR?

The rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, and our World will not be saved… We’re already seeing chaos in most commodity markets, a global container crisis that will only continue to worsen and the members of the European Union, our fearless saviours, will continue to commute to business meetings in their private jets… Hooray.

Here are some additional articles that we found beneficial;

How EUDR Might affect Smallholder Farms

Germany pushes to Delay

Cocoa-producing countries ask for 2 years

Reading: From last week, looking into the World AeroPress Championship, we found a catalog of recipes from past World AeroPress Championships revealing how brewing techniques have evolved. From varying water temperatures to grind sizes, it’s especially interesting to see how many winning recipes use water temperatures under 85°C! The joy of coffee and all of it’s

Watching: In this episode of Buy the Drip, we sit down with Hunter Tedman, who dives into the controversy surrounding infused coffees and the strict rules governing Panama’s coffee competitions. He sheds light on the importance of transparency and maintaining the integrity of Panama’s renowned Geisha coffees. Don’t miss the full conversation—now available in video format on our YouTube channel! If you haven’t already, we’d appreciate you subscribe 🙂

Listening: Remember getting rickrolled? In this episode of Song Exploder, Rick Astley and producer Mike Stock break down how the iconic hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” was created. Released in 1987, the song topped charts worldwide, and decades later in 2007, it found new life through the Rickrolling phenomenon. Astley shares how the song came together, from the writing process to its production.

Brewing: We’re writing you from Japan, as we’re both currently here doing some consulting. We are brewing some coffees roasted by Tokyo based roaster Sarutahiko. They’re roasting facility features state-of-the-art production equipment from Giesen, Loring and Stronghold. If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, we highly recommend adding the original Ebisu location of Sarutahiko onto your radar to visit.

this week, we’re sharing a shot of the roasting facility that we’re working out of and providing support in. the Chofu Roasting facility of Sarutahiko

respond with a photo of your brew bar or get creative with an AI generated scene and we’ll feature and share in an upcoming week of BTD

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. This week, we covered the distance from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Frankfurt, Germany

as a group, we’re capable of covering a lot of distance

“Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.”

Want to join us as we hit the road? Let’s connect on Strava! or, join our Whoop group – just respond to the email and let’s grind together!