Twenty management representatives from 14 Fairtrade certified Small Producer Organisations (SPOs), organisations of smallholder farmers working in coffee and cotton across India, took part in the 3^rd HREDD workshop  organised under the "Enabling Compliance of Fair Trade Supply Chains with New EU Regulations", project  implemented by Fairtrade NAPP with the support of German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), which takes SPOs step by step through Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD): commitment, risk assessment, remediation, and policy development. With European regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EUCSDDD) reshaping trade requirements, strong due diligence systems are fast becoming a market strength for producer organisations.

Evidence First: Turning Identified Risks into Verified Ones

The first technical session focused on risk validation and remediation planning. Participants moved beyond naming risks to learning how a risk can be verified, documented, and addressed through practical, evidence-based actions. Case studies and real-world examples anchored the discussion in situations the organisations recognise from their own work, making remediation planning tangible and actionable rather than abstract. Representatives left the session with a clearer picture of how to build an action plan their organisation can carry out.

Seeing the Coffee Farm Through an Environmental Lens

The second session took a close look at key environmental risks in coffee production, including waste management, water use, biodiversity conservation, climate impacts, and sustainable agricultural practices. Participants gained introductory knowledge they can use to recognise and prioritise environmental risks in their own operations, a skill that matters for coffee and cotton organisations alike as environmental expectations in export markets continue to rise.

A Head Start on Europe's Deforestation Rules

Participants were introduced to the EU Deforestation Regulation and to practical tools for environmental risk assessment and prioritisation. Organisations now have an early picture of what will be expected of supply chains selling into Europe, and a set of tools to begin assessing where they stand. Growing regulatory requirements under EUDR and EUCSDDD are proving to be a strong motivation for producer organisations to strengthen their due diligence systems for the long term, turning compliance preparation into a lasting business advantage.

Learning Together, in a Shared Language

Throughout the workshop, participants shared their own experiences of HREDD activities, learning as much from one another as from the facilitators. Hindi interpretation ran through the entire session, so discussion was open to every participant regardless of the language they work in. This multilingual, sequential design of the workshop series enhances accessibility, reinforces learning from one workshop to the next, and creates opportunities for deeper peer learning, so that due diligence knowledge rests on many shoulders across the participating organisations.

Measuring Learning, Building Readiness for Policy

A pretest at the start and a post test at the close of the workshop tracked how participants' understanding of HREDD concepts developed during the session, and the findings will inform how the next workshop is facilitated. The session closed with a preview of Workshop 4 on policy drafting. Most importantly, participants strengthened their readiness to draft the policies and commitments their organisations will develop in the next stage of the series.

Voices from the Workshop

The Road to Workshop 4

The next workshop in the series will focus on policy drafting, building directly on the risks participants have identified, assessed, and validated. Ahead of it, producer organisations will review their validated risk assessment findings, and Fairtrade NAPP will work alongside organisations still completing their internal risk assessments so that every organisation can take part meaningfully. Organisations are also encouraged to begin outlining remediation plans using the frameworks introduced in this workshop, turning learning into practice well before the next session begins.

Concepts such as risk validation, remediation planning, and EUDR compliance take time to absorb and apply independently, and the sequential design of the series responds to exactly that, with each workshop reinforcing the last. The team will also review gender disaggregated participation data and step up mobilisation so that more women and farm level workers join the coming sessions, widening the circle of due diligence knowledge within the organisations. For Fairtrade NAPP and its partners, this workshop marks one more step in an ongoing journey towards supply chains where human rights and environmental responsibility are part of everyday practice.