September 13th, 2024

In this article, a compilation of key decisions and updates are published weekly

Key Updates

EUDR Due Diligence report Delay

Unfortunately, we are encountering some data issues and have to postpone the launch of the EUDR Due Diligence Report. The issues are with the quality of the inputted geo data in the RACP. 

Whilst designing the solution to prevent new faulty geodata from entering the system, the deforestation risk assessment has been temporarily switched off. Users are notified with a message in the RACP and we aim to have this back online within a couple of days. The RACP and GIS teams are working hard to analyse current data, and to come up with a solution to correct existing data and ensure all new data is entered correctly too.

When more is known about the above, there will be a better view on required actions and timelines for the solution and go live of the report.

The EUDR project team will keep staff posted.

Corporate Communications: EU Empowering Consumers Directive

On 27 September 2026, the EU Empowering Consumers Directive will come into effect. This directive prohibits the use of sustainability labels that are not based on a certification scheme or not established by public authorities. Our Public Affairs team have created  this handy overview to showcase how the Rainforest Alliance 2020 Certification Program meets the definition of ‘certification scheme’ as provided in this directive. This overview will support our external-facing teams as they discuss the upcoming EU ECD with their stakeholders.

Person to contact: Fanny Gauttier, Public Affairs Lead – Europe.

IPM team: Extension of phase out timeline for Highly Hazardous Pesticides.  

In November 2024, our IPM team will release version 1.7 of the Exceptional Use Policy. This update, effective January 1, 2025, will have significant implications for certificate holders and market partners, as it extends the phase-out timeline for certain prohibited pesticides from 2024 to either 2026 or 2028. For more details on this update, including our rationale, an internal webinar and answers to frequently asked questions, please refer to the English and Spanish articles available on our Knowledge Hub.

Person to contact: Juliana, Agricultural Production Systems Lead, or Magdalena Marquez, Integrated Pest Management Manager

Events

Assurance: CB Instructor Summit Africa August 19^th- 23^rd 

The first CB Instructor Summit in Africa was held last August in Nairobi, Kenia during the week of August 19^th – 23^rd. 

All CBs authorized in Africa participated in this one-week F2F event aimed at bringing together the instructors of Certification Bodies in the region to provide them with a set of tools for the continuous improvement of their internal training plans, as well as the development and management of their team’s competencies.

The event was successful and well received by the participants, which was reflected in the feedback received. We are excited to follow up with this new approach to AP Training in the future and to see the impact in the CB’s internal training. 

You can find a summary of the event in our AP Training Blog here. 

For more information, please reach out to cbtraining@ra.org 

Kenya Coffee CB/CH Calibration - Quality of Implementation Africa

A two-day calibration workshop to align certificate holders and certification bodies was organised in Kenya on the 27th and 28th of August. The workshop touched on:

• EUDR Requirements
• Digital Farm Internal Inspection App (FIA)
• Changes to Certification and Auditing Rules
• Certification Timelines
• Navigating RACP, MTT, GMR common errors
• Updates on the Kenyan coffee sector and EUDR alignment

CBs and producers appreciated the training and felt that it was much needed to align on their interpretation of the training topics. Interesting feedback was shared with RA on EUDR and has been submitted to the relevant teams for consideration. A training report will also be prepared and shared with both stakeholders including any further updates from RA. 

For more information, please contact mmureithi@ra.org or Lryser@ra.org 

Certification media coverage

Latest media coverage highlights inclde:

• An opinion piece on EUDR published in Euronews in Fanny Gauttier's name arguing the need to do more for farmers.
• A series of articles on RA certification and our wider work in a series of articles in Reuters-owned 
• Ethical Corporation.
• An article in Forbes on the link between cocoa and deforestation includes a positive mention of the role of Rainforest Alliance certification.
• Tea & Coffee Trade Journal published an article in Miguel Gamboa’s name outlining how  certification supports coffee farmers with EUDR requirements.
• An article in Politico on the reasons behind the rise in coffee pricing includes information we shared around our coffee certification programme with commentary from Miguel Gamboa.
• UK publications (Daily Mirror, Daily Express) cover research finding that 77% of adults are more likely to trust sustainability claims validated by a reputable organisation – including the Rainforest Alliance.
• Miguel Gamboa also spoke with trade publication Comunicaffe to explain how our coffee certification program works at the source.
• And lastly, our green frog seal has been highlighted in a cute feature on the Amazon in Whizz Pop Bang, a UK kids' science magazine.

Any questions, contact the media team: Donita Dooley (team lead), Marissa Akersloot (Benelux), Andriana Matsangou (UK&Ireland), Francisco Gonzalez (U.S.), and Juliane Matthey (DACH)