Ferrero among industry players supporting EUDR Community of Practice venture
Global confectionery group Ferrero has moved to offer its backing to a new initiative from the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the EU Sustainable Supply Chains Coalition, for a new Community of Practice for early adoption of EUDR deforestation legislation, writes Neill Barston.
The initiative was launched recently at an online gathering of 250 key sector stakeholders that had expressed a desire to engage with the landmark laws before their official start date of December 2026 – which have already suffered key setbacks of delayed implementation by two years following right-wing political and industry lobbying.
As the EFI noted, this initiative is a new public–private platform designed to strengthen collaboration, enhance preparedness, and support practical implementation of the Regulation across global supply chains.
Moreover, as the organisation explained, the EUDR is set to enter into force at the end of 2026, and public and private actors—including companies, producers, NGOs, Competent Authorities and other stakeholders—have already invested significantly in traceability systems, geolocation tools, digital data infrastructure and national monitoring mechanisms.
The Community of Practice provides a neutral, technical space where stakeholders can examine implementation challenges, share lessons and explore practical solutions.
The CoP was introduced during an online launch event attended by over 250 stakeholders from Europe and producing countries. The session included introductory statements, a presentation on the origins and purpose of the CoP, an overview of examples from EUDR dry runs, and an interactive survey to identify priority issues for the 2026 CoP work programme.
A key feature of the initiative is the creation of a core group of technical experts and practitioners, representing operators across the seven EUDR commodities, SMEs, producer‑country actors, NGOs, certification schemes, and Competent Authorities.
As the EFI confirmed the core group will meet six times between March and December 2026 to engage in case-based discussions, practical testing and knowledge sharing. EFI and the EU SSCC will co‑facilitate these sessions.
Commenting on its engagement with the initiative, Ferrero commented: “We support the launch of Community of Practice (CoP) on the EU Regulation on Deforestation Free Products (EUDR), a new initiative by the Sustainable Supply Chain Coalition and the European Forest Institute(EFI).
“This technical forum is designed to support the effective implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) ahead of its entry into force in December 2026. It brings together companies, authorities and other stakeholders to exchange expertise, address implementation challenges and identify practical solutions across global supply chains.
“We fully support the ambition of the EUDR and believe collaboration across sectors will be essential to making it work in practice.”
