The project called “LIFE FAIRTHRIVE: Empowering Businesses to Thrive Fairly Under the EUDR,” officially began on 1 June and will run for the next 36 months. The grant is funded by the LIFE Programme, the European Union’s funding arm for environmental and climate action initiatives.

The EUDR provisions are scheduled to go into effect starting on 30 December 2025, with a later date of 30 June 2026 for micro and small enterprises. The regulation’s aim is to ensure products sold in the EU are not linked to deforestation.

“This grant and the project that it will fund will assist companies in EU member states, but it will also contribute to fairer, greener, and more resilient supply chains, while supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal,” said Andreas Kratz, Fairtrade International’s Director Global Products, Programs & Policy and Director Standards & Pricing.

In addition to the capacity building activities that will offer practical training, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, as well as ongoing technical support to help operators integrate EUDR requirements into their operations, the project’s other core activities include:

Development of Training Modules and Guidance Materials. Fairtrade will create sector-specific, multilingual training content and guidance materials for operators affected by the EUDR. This includes simplifying EUDR compliance requirements into actionable steps, incorporating practical case studies, and fostering supply chain transparency. The materials will be translated into nine EU languages.

Awareness Raising and Exchange of Best Practices. Fairtrade will foster knowledge sharing and collaboration by participating in industry events and organising webinars and workshops across sectors affected by EUDR. The goal is to enhance sector-specific understanding and promote practical implementation strategies.

Pilot existing traceability tools to support SMEs in demonstrating EUDR compliance. Fairtrade will focus on utilising tools that it has already developed or is currently developing to ensure practical application and alignment with the goal of effective SME support. The pilot will include training for SMEs on how to use these tools, an evaluation of their effectiveness, and the sharing of best practices to optimise compliance across sectors.

Fairtrade International serves as the project’s coordinator and will work in collaboration with five Fairtrade National Offices - Fairtrade Germany, Max Havelaar France, Fairtrade Belgium, Fairtrade Italy, and Fairtrade Finland, which includes the Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) Centre of Excellence.

The project’s impact, however, will expand beyond these offices. Fairtrade Belgium will work closely with Fairtrade Netherlands and Luxembourg to engage companies in those markets. Meanwhile Fairtrade Germany will coordinate with Fairtrade Austria to cover activities in Austria. Similarly, Max Havelaar France will collaborate with Fairtrade Ibérica to reach SMEs in the Spanish market. And through Fairtrade Finland, SMEs in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will also benefit from the project.

Beyond these regional partnerships, Fairtrade’s extensive EU network, which includes national organisations in Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and marketing organisations in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia will also benefit. All project materials, tools, and insights will be shared with these organisations to help them disseminate resources to their partners and stakeholders, further amplifying the project's impact across the EU.

Fairtrade has and continues to be active in its support to supply chain stakeholders’ deforestation and EUDR readiness. The Fairtrade Standards have built-in forest protection requirements that meet or go beyond what is required in the EUDR regulation. Fairtrade also offers assistance to producer organisations when it comes to collecting geolocation data and deforestation monitoring data, as well as conducting risk assessments and implementing risk mitigation.

Plus, earlier this year, Fairtrade announced the start of a three-year project to promote deforestation-free cocoa in Ghana. Titled Partnership for Deforestation-Free Cocoa Supply Chains, the project is funded by a grant from the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) together with funds from Fairtrade Germany.

For more information about Fairtrade and its work on deforestation and the EUDR regulation, please visit our website.