The partnership is designed to help companies comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France – December 5, 2023 – Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, Kayrros, a leading environmental intelligence services company, and OPTEL, one of the world’s leading suppliers of traceability systems, announced at COP 28 in Dubai the signing of a strategic partnership to provide companies with a solution to help them combat deforestation. The partnership is designed to help companies comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to combat deforestation caused by the import of certain products.
Deforestation is one of the major environmental emergencies on the COP 28 agenda. As an aggravating factor in global warming, drastically limiting deforestation is a major challenge for the coming years. From 2024, the EUDR European regulation will require companies to ensure full traceability of products, and to verify that goods sold on the European market – or exported from the EU – have not participated in deforestation or forest degradation.
Bureau Veritas, Kayrros and OPTEL are aware of the operational challenge this represents for companies and have joined forces to implement innovative solutions. This partnership aims to go further than the single use case of deforestation, by addressing all industries with traceability and supply control needs.
The joint offering is based on the complementary skills of the three companies: verification of production conditions and reliability of information by Bureau Veritas, thanks to its international network of auditors; tracking of deforestation or forest degradation over time, thanks to satellite data and the reconstitution of biomes (a set of ecosystems) provided by Kayrros; transparency on the origin of the commodities concerned, thanks to OPTEL’s traceability system.
Hinda Gharbi, Chief Executive Officer of Bureau Veritas, commented: “The range of solutions developed with OPTEL and Kayrros will enable our customers to better control their imported products from deforested land or land subject to forest degradation. The need for transparency and information throughout the supply chain is critical and concerns many markets. I am convinced that this partnership, which is fully aligned with Bureau Veritas strategy to take sustainability to the next level, will provide a concrete and effective response.”
Antoine Rostand, Co-founder and President of Kayrros, stated: “We are delighted to form this partnership with Bureau Veritas and OPTEL, bringing together our expertise and experience in our respective fields to support the fight against deforestation. We will be able to help companies comply with the regulations set by the EU and help consumers understand whether the products they buy are contributing to forest degradation. Kayrros, Bureau Veritas, and OPTEL share a commitment to providing innovative solutions to the sustainability challenges that organizations are facing today.”
Florent Bouguin, EVP and Chief Technology Officer at OPTEL, said: “OPTEL’s traceability systems have been developed and deployed over the years to enable companies to make their supply chains more sustainable. We are delighted to announce our collaboration with two major partners who will complement our expertise, enabling us to offer a turnkey solution to customers to comply with EUDR regulations.”
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ABOUT BUREAU VERITAS
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in inspection, certification and laboratory testing. Founded in 1828, the Group employs around 84,000 people in more than 1,600 offices and laboratories worldwide. Bureau Veritas helps its 400,000 clients improve their performance by providing services and innovative solutions to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructures and processes meet standards and regulations relating to quality, health, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and is a component of the CAC 40 ESG, CAC Next 20, SBF 120 and SBT 1.5 indices. Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, mnemonic: BVI. Find out more at www.bureauveritas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and X (@bureauveritas).
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ABOUT KAYRROS
Kayrros is a global environmental intelligence company and world leader in earth and asset observation technology. Kayrros collects data from satellite imagery and uses AI and geoanalytics technology to provide insights that help companies, investors and regulators reduce their emissions, protect people and assets from extreme weather events and accelerate the transition to a lower carbon economy. Kayrros has recently been named one of the world’s 100 Most Influential Companies by TIME, included on Fortune’s annual Change the World list, Fast Company Most Innovative Companies 2023 and is a winner of the Financial Times Tech Champions 2022. Kayrros has offices in Paris, Houston, New York, London, Bangalore and Singapore. For more information visit www.kayrros.com
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ABOUT OPTEL
OPTEL is a global leader in traceability technology, capitalizing on more than 34 years of expertise to optimize the value chain, ensure compliance with traceability regulations and promote supply chain sustainability. Founded in 1989, OPTEL is a certified B Corporation, headquartered in Canada, with facilities in Germany, Ireland, India and Brazil. To find out more, follow us on LinkedIn or visit optelgroup.com