Support for EUDR Compliance in Vietnam’s Cocoa Sector
Under the SWITCH-Asia program of the European Union, Helvetas is implementing the project “Circular Economy Cocoa: From Bean to Bar.” The project aims to promote circular economy solutions in cocoa and other agri-food sectors, leading to equitable economic growth decoupled from harmful environmental impacts. It is being implemented from 2022 to 2026 across 6–7 key cocoa-growing provinces in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions.
Sustainable certification schemes such as the European Union Deforestration Regulation (EUDR) complement circular economy approaches in the cocoa sector by promoting traceable, deforestation-free, and resource-efficient production, ensuring that value is created with minimal waste and environmental impact across the supply chain. The EUDR requires that commodities such as cocoa and cocoa-derived products placed on or exported to the EU market be demonstrably deforestation-free and legally produced. Achieving compliance demands robust systems for traceability, geolocation data, legality verification, and risk assessment—posing new challenges for producers and exporters in Vietnam.
Marou Chocolate, Vietnam’s leading producer of premium single-origin chocolate, has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable sourcing and transparency. Through digital traceability tools and close partnerships with farmers, Marou promotes responsible cultivation and equitable value distribution. However, to fully align with EUDR requirements and maintain market access to the EU, Marou needs to further strengthen its traceability and data management systems, establish risk mitigation measures, and build long-term due diligence capacity.
To advance Vietnam’s sustainable and deforestation-free cocoa sector, Helvetas seeks a consultancy team or firm to support Marou in assessing and refining its traceability and compliance systems, and in developing practical tools and a roadmap to meet EUDR requirements before April 2026. This activity will reinforce responsible sourcing practices while contributing to the project’s broader ambition of building circular, transparent, and environmentally responsible cocoa value chains that support inclusive and sustainable economic development. The EUDR training materials developed under this assignment may also be adapted for use by other companies, if relevant.
For more information, please refer to the attached Terms of Reference (TOR).
Interested candidates should send their Profiles, Technical and Financial Proposals to Helvetas Vietnam at diep.dinh@helvetas.org and helvetas.vietnam@helvetas.org no later than November 20, 2025.