The National Agricultural Export Development Board of Rwanda (NAEB) and its partners have launched an official roadmap aligning coffee from Rwanda's agricultural sector with the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). As of October 2023, Europe imports over 61% of Rwanda's coffee; therefore, the EU is Rwanda's largest coffee export market.
The roadmap is designed to protect market access by providing a solid foundation for future diversification while ensuring that Rwanda's coffee sector meets the new EU regulatory requirements in terms of sustainability, traceability, and responsible business conduct.
According to the EUDR, coffee sold in the EU has to be registered as having zero links with deforestation. As a part of this requirement, businesses need to evaluate human rights and environmental issues across their entire supply chain as part of compliance with CSDDD.
While speaking at the launch, Chief Operating Officer of NAEB, Sandrine Urujeni, indicated that it will be critical for Rwanda's coffee industry to take proactive steps towards aligning itself with the new sustainability standards being introduced in the EU to ensure it continues to have access to this significant export market.
The introduction of these requirements in the EUDR and CSDDD is a very clear indication of the direction global trade is heading, where sustainability, traceability and due diligence are at the very core and foundation of international trade.
According to NAEB, although the compliance requirements with these two new regulations will require significant investment in reading these regulations, they will also provide an opportunity to improve transparency, better protect the environment, and continue to establish Rwandan coffee as a premium, sustainable coffee product throughout the world.