With the EUDR set to apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large companies, Trusty returned to Côte d’Ivoire through the Green Horizons and Prima i Minori projects to train four local organisations on the regulation, digital data collection and plantation geolocation. Supply chain compliance starts at the very first link.
When people talk about compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation, they usually think of the companies importing raw materials into Europe. But the data needed to prove compliance, the foundation of EUDR cocoa traceability, originates elsewhere: on producers’ plots and in cooperatives’ records. If that data is incomplete or poorly collected, no downstream system can fix it. And for producers, the stakes are high: providing complete, verifiable data is increasingly a condition for staying in European markets.
That is why Green Horizons and Prima i Minori, the two international cooperation projects Trusty is partnering on in Côte d’Ivoire, include training for the people on the ground who are now responsible for collecting this data, often for the first time. As part of this work, the year’s second mission took place in mid-October 2026.
EUDR and cocoa traceability: the data that matters starts on the plantation
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) requires operators and traders placing certain commodities on the EU market, including cocoa, to demonstrate that their products are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation and were produced in compliance with the laws of the country of origin, from land use rights and environmental and labour regulations to human rights. After two postponements, the obligations apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large companies and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small enterprises (see the latest updates on the regulation here). What is needed, then, is concrete data: the geolocation of plots, supplier information and evidence that production is legal. With the deadline fast approaching, that data must be reliable right from the source.
Having the data, however, is not enough: it has to be collected accurately, organised consistently, kept up to date and made accessible to those who need it. This is where digital traceability becomes a matter of data governance: who collects the information, with what tools and rules, and how its reliability is ensured along the supply chain.
Green Horizons: from regulation to the field with SCOOP BANDAMA and Yosran
Green Horizons – Training, Employment and Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Côte d’Ivoire is promoted by Associazione Centro ELIS and funded by the Italian Ministry of the Interior – Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration, with Interlife ETS, Côte d’Ivoire Entreprises Développement (CIED), ADESC and Trusty among its partners. The project aims to promote the socio-economic inclusion of young people and women and to create new business opportunities; Trusty contributes technology and expertise to digitalise the cocoa supply chain and support EUDR compliance.
The first days were dedicated to the SCOOP BANDAMA cooperative, where Imma Pagano, Trusty’s International Project Manager, Tomas de la Serna, the project’s local coordinator, and Andrea Mecozzi, a cocoa supply chain expert, launched the training programme with the cooperative’s delegates.
The session combined regulation and practice: after an introduction to EUDR requirements, the delegates tested Trusty’s platform in the field, including recording the geographic coordinates of plantations. This is the data the entire regulation rests on, collected by the people who know those plantations best.
The programme continued with the Yosran cooperative, covering the same topics: EUDR requirements and how to use the Trusty platform to collect, organise and make the most of supply chain information.
Prima i Minori: training with AGRIMAGNI and Comoé Équitable
Prima i Minori is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented with Agenzia n.1 di Pavia per Ayamé (APPA), Mani Tese, Comoé Équitable and AGRIMAGNI. Its focus is protecting children’s rights and building a fairer, more transparent and more responsible cocoa supply chain.
Trusty’s contribution concerns supply chain traceability: as with Green Horizons, the AGRIMAGNI and Comoé Équitable teams were trained on EUDR requirements and on using the platform for digital data management.
Value that stays local and opens the way to Europe
The first benefit is local. Alongside the social goals of both projects, the training strengthens the skills of cooperatives and local operators, making them more independent in managing their own information and more aware of its value. These skills remain in the community long after the mission ends, turning data collection into an everyday activity rather than a one-off, deadline-driven obligation.
The second benefit is the connection to markets. European buyers must base their due diligence on information coming from producing countries: a cooperative that can manage reliable data on its producers and plantations becomes a stronger partner. In this way, the two projects act as a bridge: they bring the tools required by the European market to the ground and give the supply chain verifiable information about who produces and how.
For Trusty, this is where the value of technology is truly measured: turning reliable information into knowledge and, from there, into awareness, so that producers and cooperatives can respond to market demands with greater confidence, make informed decisions and contribute to lasting change.
Beyond cocoa: compliance starts at the first link
The Ivorian case is about cocoa, but the lesson applies to any supply chain. EU regulations increasingly require companies to prove, with verifiable data, where what they buy comes from and the conditions under which it is produced. In complex supply chains, the quality of this information depends on three things: the right digital tools, clear procedures for collection and verification, and people trained to use them.
This integration of technology, supply chain knowledge and regulatory requirements is at the heart of Trusty’s work: not just recording data, but governing it throughout the entire sourcing process. Because a transparent, compliant supply chain isn’t born in a database — it is built on how information is collected, managed and shared at every step.
EUDR from 30 December 2026: is your supply chain ready?
For companies subject to the regulation, Trusty has developed the EUDR Compliance Solution, validated by RINA: from plot geolocation, including through the EUDR Coordinates Collect app, to deforestation, legal and social risk assessment, all the way to data validation and the submission of due diligence statements to the EU Information System.
Want to make your supply chain traceable and compliant? Contact the Trusty team: together, we’ll analyse your supply chain and the regulatory requirements that apply to it.
Frequently asked questions
What does the EUDR require for the cocoa supply chain, and when does it apply?
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 requires operators and traders to carry out due diligence demonstrating that cocoa placed on the EU market is not linked to deforestation or forest degradation and was produced in compliance with the laws of the country of origin. The required information includes the geolocation of production plots. The obligations apply from 30 December 2026 for medium and large companies and from 30 June 2027 for micro and small enterprises.
Why is cooperative training important for EUDR compliance?
Because the data required by the regulation is collected at the source. Trained operators and the right digital tools reduce errors and gaps, making the information that due diligence relies on more reliable across the entire chain.
What is supply chain data governance?
The set of rules, processes, responsibilities and tools that ensure supply chain information is collected correctly, kept consistent and made accessible to those who need to use it, including for regulatory purposes.
