THE “ZERO DEFORESTATION” PROJECT

The Lavazza Foundation is currently supporting a project in Ecuador to promote sustainable coffee production, both environmentally and socially. The objective of this project is to incentivise the production of sustainable coffee, generating a better distribution of benefits among the various players in the chain.

As result of massive deforestation in the Amazon basin, the government of Ecuador is currently using funds allocated by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to strengthen existing government initiatives aimed at tackling it. As of recently, the GEF has set aside funds for the creation of "zero deforestation" agricultural chains which, among the various commodity chains included, also foresaw a project involving the cultivation of coffee in 23 provinces bordering the Amazon rainforest.

With this in mind, the Ministry of Environment and Water (MAAE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of Ecuador and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) joined forces to launch an initiative supporting "Zero Deforestation" coffee, with an end to improving the income of producers by increasing the quality and productivity of coffee.

Lavazza was the only roasting company supporting this important initiative. Its role was to promote the deforestation-free coffee standard in Ecuador and support the country in the production of high-quality coffee.

At the end of 2019, a Letter of Intent was signed in Quito between MAAE, MAG, UNDP and Lavazza, to strengthen Ecuador's coffee sector by piloting the country’s zero-deforestation initiative. This represented a fundamental step towards sustainable production in the coffee sector in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.