Sustainability

Rainforest Alliance envisions a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. They are an international non-profit organisation working at the intersection of business, agriculture and forests. They aim to create a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal.

Donors/Partners

Every organisation or individual wanting to contribute to the activities of Rainforest Alliance can be a donor.

Rainforest Alliance has longstanding partnerships with smallholder farmers, forest communities, industry actors all through the supply chain, as well as public actors.

Key activities

The Rainforest Alliance’s new strategy guides their partners—from smallholder farmers and forest communities to corporate and civil society allies across Latin America, Africa, and Asia—in accelerating their sustainability impact. They harness the power of the market to drive positive social, environmental, and economic change along entire supply chains, across landscapes that are critically important to the climate stability. The farming and forest communities they work with are on the front lines of some of the most urgent challenges: climate change, deforestation, and rural poverty. They support frontline communities in responding to these challenges through a comprehensive, 360-degree approach that centres sustainable livelihoods.

The Rainforest Alliance is an established global leader in sustainability certification—a powerful, proven tool for advancing best practices for land use, farm management, and the stewardship of natural resources. However, after decades of experience in the field and collaboration with allies along the supply chain, they know that that in order to drive deeper sustainability transformation, a certification system must be supported by an enabling environment. For this reason, they have reimagined certification as a journey of continuous improvement, fortified by advanced monitoring techniques and complementary interventions. Rather than a pass-fail model focused solely on compliance, their new certification model measures and incentivises progress along the entire sustainability journey.

Signature projects/tools

• ‘Project Guatemala’: Women Make Strides in Sustainable Coffee Cultivation (https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/business/commodity/coffee/)
• Boosting Climate Resilience and Rural Incomes in Honduras (https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/articles/boosting-climate-resilience-rural-incomes-honduras)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities

Honduras:  Child labour – Deforestation – Sustainable supply development

Brazil: Forced labour – Water management

Colombia: Living Income – Water management – Biodiversity  

Ethiopia:  Labour conditions – Living income

Vietnam: Pesticide and water management – Forced and child labour

Save the Children’s work saves and improves children’s lives around the world. Its mission is to ensure children have healthcare, food and shelter, as well as learning and child protection services when children need it most. Through its programming, emergency responses and advocacy, Save the Children puts the most vulnerable children first, tackling the barriers to survival, learning and protection.

DONORS/PARTNERS

Save the Children cultivates innovative and meaningful partnerships with organisations that share the belief that every child has the same rights, and that realising these rights is the key to their future. Save the Children has a network of corporate and technology partners such as Accenture; Boston Consulting Group; Bulgari; C&A and C&A Foundation; GSK; IKEA and IKEA Foundation; Johnson & Johnson; Mondelez International; TJX Companies, INC; Atlassian; Creatly; Vertygosla; Evozon; Jeti; Zephyr; Think Cell; JHEM; Synergy and Gliffy.

KEY ACTIVITIES

The key issues activities are:

• Survival;
• Learning;
• Protection;
• Emergencies;
• Advocacy;
• Campaigns.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

• https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/2012/business-as-usual-the-launch-of-the-children%2525e2%252580%252599s-rights-and-business-principles-part-i

The Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBP) project. The CRBP are the guidelines developed by Save the Children, the Global Compact and UNICEF to support businesses in respecting and promoting children’s rights in the day-to-day running of their business activities.

PRIORITY COUNTRIES

Save the Children works around 117 countries.

The International Coffee Organization is an inter-governmental membership organization. ICO’s mission is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the betterment of all participants in the coffee sector.

It makes a practical contribution to the development of a sustainable world coffee sector and to reducing poverty in developing countries by delivering world-class data, analysis and information to the industry and policy-makers, by using its convening power to provide a forum for dialogue between and within the public and private sectors, as well as by facilitating the development of projects and promotion programmes through public-private partnerships.

Donors/Partners:

ICO has 49 Members representing 98% of global coffee exports and 67% of imports. The complete list is available here: http://www.ico.org/members_e.asp?section=About_Us.

Key activities:

The International Coffee Organization collects, analyses and disseminates independent statistical data on the global coffee sector (production, consumption, trade and prices). The ICO prepares and disseminates studies on emerging issues in the global coffee sector, socioeconomic aspects of coffee production, and impacts of agricultural policies.

The ICO provides a unique forum for discussion of coffee matters between Members and with the private sector, and acts as a convener, catalyst and source of reference, so as to improve the consistency of coffee policy-making on a global level.

The ICO identifies, in collaboration with development agencies, the key areas where coffee can play a major role in promoting sustainable development. The ICO supports the design and implementation of national coffee strategies and encourages sharing of best practices, as well as assists in the preparation of coffee sector development project proposals.

Signature projects/tools:

• International Coffee Council (https://www.internationalcoffeecouncil.org/eng/InternationalCoffeeCouncil.php)
• CEO & Global Leaders Forum (https://www.internationalcoffeecouncil.org/eng/ceo-forum.php)
• Coffee Public-Private Sector Task Force
• Consultative Forum on Coffee Sector Finance (https://www.internationalcoffeecouncil.org/eng/9th-Consultative-Forum.php)
• Coffee Development Report (annual economic flagship report) (https://www.internationalcoffeecouncil.org/eng/coffee-development-report.php)
• Coffee Market Report (monthly statistical bulletin) (http://www.ico.org/documents/cy2019-20/cmr-1219-e.pdf)
• International Coffee Day campaigns (https://www.internationalcoffeeday.org/)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities:

ICO Member countries (exporting countries)

Hivos, the Humanist Institute for Co-operation with Developing Countries, is an international NGO with programmes in Southern Africa, East Africa, Middle East & North Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Hivos seeks new and creative solutions to persistent global problems; solutions created by people taking their lives into their own hands. They offer a positive counterbalancing force against discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. Their mission is to innovate for social change. With smart projects in the right places, they work towards more open and green societies.

Donors/Partners:

Hivos has IDB Lab and RVO as donors, and is partnering with Conservation International, Oxfam Wereldwinkels, Solidaridad, COSA, CRS, HRNS, CLAC, GCP, Rainforest Alliance, PGE, Oikocredit, SCA, Root Capital, Grameen and multiple coffee traders and roasters.

Key activities:

Hivos supports frontrunners and their ideas, by engaging game-changing pioneers and frontrunners that inspire others. They have a keen eye for these innovators and offer them a platform, connecting them to different networks, provide start-up funding, training etc. Hivos connects multiple stakeholders and co-create solutions through multi-actor platforms or “coalitions of the willing” that can transform ideas into solutions and help them grow and spread. They finance programs, ensure good monitoring and evaluations, and incorporate lessons learnt into future programming. Hivos also influences policies and scales solutions by influencing policies at all levels of government and by triggering media interest in alternative solutions to persistent problems. They also scale out successful solutions to other countries and regions.

Signature projects/tools:

• Coordination of the multistakeholder SAFE platform in Latin America (www.safeplatform.org)
• Coordination of the 4S@Scale programme in East-Africa (https://www.hivos.org/program/4sscale/)
• Publication of the biannual Coffee Barometer (since 2006)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities

Not specified

The Crop Trust was founded by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as an independent organisation charged with helping the world develop a global system for ex situ conservation that makes sure the diversity of the most important crop diversity is safeguarded and made available for global food security. 

Donors/Partners:

The Crop Trust is funded by governments (63.3%), foundations (34.3%), corporations (1.5%) and other donors (0.9%). Presently, the Swiss tool-making company FELCO is the only donor for coffee.

Key activities:

The Crop Trust works closely with international, regional and national gene banks, to make sure the diversity held in their collections is safe and available. We do this by making sure they meet and maintain global standards of conservation, and by maximising the use of the limited resources they obtain.

For coffee, the Crop Trust worked with World Coffee Research (WCR) in developing the ‘Global Conservation Strategy for Coffee Genetic Resources’, which was published in 2017. This document comprehensively looks at the state of coffee diversity in the world and outlines what it will take moving forward to safeguard and make available the most unique diversity of coffee, for all actors across the world to use. Consequently, the Crop Trust is striving to (a) make sure the key gene banks that hold this diversity meet and eventually maintain global (FAO) standards in securing this diversity, and (b) ensure proper funding for the collections in perpetuity.

Signature projects/tools:

Coffee – Global Conservation Strategy for Coffee Genetic Resources (https://www.croptrust.org/saving-coffee/)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities:

Costa Rica: Climate change – Consumer education & awareness – Technical assistance – Access to finance – Standards/certification

Ivory Coast: Climate change – Consumer education & awareness – Technical assistance – Access to finance – Standards/certification

Ethiopia: Climate change – Consumer education & awareness – Technical assistance – Access to finance – Standards/certification

Madagascar: Climate change – Consumer education & awareness – Technical assistance – Access to finance – Standards/certification

Fairtrade International is the world’s largest fair trade system bringing together producers, businesses and consumers to transform conventional trade. Representing more than 1.7 million farmers and workers, Fairtrade International owns the Fairtrade label, one of the most recognized ethical labels globally and backed by rigorous standards and certification. More than 30 Fairtrade organisations around the world work towards a better deal for farmers and workers and to create sustainable social, economic and environmental change.

Fairtrade’s overall mission is to connect disadvantaged producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions and empower producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position and take more control over their lives.

Donors/Partners:

Fairtrade International works with a diverse group of partners on different initiatives. For coffee initiatives, they are currently partnering with GIZ, the EC, the Nordic Climate Fund, the Dutch Post Code Lottery, LUSH, the Finnish MFA and Comic Relief. Fairtrade is partnering with its Commercial partners to tackle climate risks in coffee value chains, as well as with technical experts such as Climate Edge,  CGIAR, Munich Climate Insurance Initiative, IFAD, Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment (SAFE) Platform, Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and International Coffee Organisation, among others.

Key activities:

Fairtrade International provides standards and certification for supply chain businesses, small-scale producer organisations and hired labor organisations. Fairtrade International supports producers, workers and their organisations. They build and sustain Fairtrade markets jointly with producer and worker organisations, businesses and citizen-consumers.

Fairtrade develops networks and alliances. They do also advocate and campaign for fairer trading practices.

Signature projects/tools:

Current projects focus on building climate resilience of smallholder coffee farmers and strengthening capacities of the small-scale producer organisations (SPO) to advocate for social actions and public policies that promote climate change adaptation.

• Growing Resilient Agricultural Enterprises (GREAN) – Uganda (https://www.ndf.fi/project/ncf-6-growing-resilient-agricultural-enterprises-grean-uganda)
• Climate Academy – Kenya and Ethiopia (https://www.fairtradenederland.nl/blog/de-climate-academy-in-machakos-helpt-boeren-in-de-strijd-tegen-klimaatverandering/ and https://coffeeandcocoa.net/2018/07/30/fairtrade-africa-climate-adaptation-project/)
• Climate Academy – Indonesia (https://www.fairtradenapp.org/launch-of-napp-climate-school/)
• Dignity for All – Honduras and Ethiopia (https://www.facebook.com/107515200589714/posts/finnish-funded-dignity-for-all-d4a-wine-impact-project-officially-launched-in-ca/126803671994200/)
• Climate Change Advocacy Project – Latin America
• Growing Women in Coffee – Kenya (https://www.fairtradeafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Growing-women-in-coffee1.pdf)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities

Fairtrade prioritises countries in the following regions: Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America & the Caribbean. This is where Fairtrade’s three Producer Networks are located, providing direct support to farmers and workers across the globe. The Producer Networks are co-owners of the Fairtrade system and have a voice and vote at the international General Assembly. Currently, Fairtrade is prioritizing its work in Living Income for coffee in the following countries: Colombia, Indonesia and Uganda.

COSPE operates in 25 countries around the world with around 70 projects alongside thousands of women and men for a change that ensures fair and sustainable development, respect for human rights, peace and justice among people.

DONORS/PARTNERS:

World:Anna Lindh Foundation, Concord, Global Convergence of Land and Water Struggles

Italy: https://www.cospe.org/chi-siamo/le-adesioni/

KEY ACTIVITIES:

Human rights at the center, Women and democracy, Environment and new economies, Migrations

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS

• CACAO CORRECTO PROJECT: https://www.cospe.org/progetti/45897/cacao-corretto/

Strengthen the coffee supply chain in Ecuador, in the provinces of Carchi and Imbabura. Optimize pre- and post-harvest phases, the consolidation of producers’ associations and the implementation of a small-scale roasting facility. Increase the income of the beneficiary families resulting from the sale of coffee by 20%. The project developed by COSPE and supported by the Lavazza Foundation is part of a broader framework of activities, named “Proper Cocoa: strengthening of the cocoa and coffee supply chains for the food sovereignty of Ecuador”. The project focuses on three main fronts: improvement and standardization of production, strengthening of associations and the marketing and promotion of agro-ecology and food sovereignty

PRIORITY COUNTRIES

26 countries

Cesvi operates worldwide to support the most vulnerable populations in promoting human rights and achieving their ambitions, for sustainable development. It also believes that the recognition of human rights contributes to the wellbeing of everyone on the planet, a shared home to be safeguarded. From 1985 to the present time, Cesvi has helped millions of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, working with hundreds of local associations and dealing with epochal challenges such as the Balkan conflicts, famine in North Korea, the AIDS pandemic in Africa, the Tsunami tragedy, the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal and many other crises and situations of poverty.

A solid commitment, always in the front line, which now concerns Italy too, where Cesvi supports the poorer bracket of the population as well as the unaccompanied foreign minors who make landfall on the country shores.

DONORS/PARTNERS

INSTITUTIONS AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

Dutch cooperation, DFID – UK Department for International Development

European Union: DEVCO – International Cooperation and Development, ECHO – Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection.

IADSA – Italian-Albanian Development Cooperation Programme, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation – Italian Ministry of Foreign Affair, Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, OFDA – Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID – US Agency for International Development, Waldensian Evangelical Church.

INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AND FUNDS AGENZIE E FONDI INTERNAZIONALI

AGIRE – Italian Agency for Emergency Response, CHF – Common Humanitarian Fund, FAO, Global Fund, HIF – Humanitarian Innovation Fund, PACF – Positive Action for Children Fund, UNDP, UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund, UNHCR – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, UN Habitat – United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UNOPS – United Nations Office for Project Services, UNRWA – United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNWOMEN – United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, WFP – World Food programme, PAM – Programma Alimentare Mondiale, World Bank.

COMPANIES AND FOUNDATIONS.

KEY ACTIVITIES:

• Response to humanitarian emergencies
• The fight against hunger in the world
• Child protection
• Maternal and child health
• Environment and sustainable development
• Awareness campaign

SIGNATURE PROJECTS/TOOLS:

• PERU: Sustainable growth policies are supported and implemented in the country, with special care to environmental protection, both in terms of conservation and in relation to the development of the agricultural chains of Amazonian nut and quinoa, which became certified and biological products in April 2018. The aim is to support local cooperatives of farmers and communities to improve their income and life conditions. The intervention is concentrated in Amazonia, in the regions of Madre de Dios, Ayacucho and Apurímac.

The activities in Lima focus on the issue of violence and sexual exploitation, by coordinating with state apparatus and structures, with particular attention to the conditions of women and children: the House of Smiles is a “mobile structure” that offers support and assistance to child girls, girls and adolescent girls in need of a highly professional and articulated support. An internationalization process in favour of local partner Tejiendo Sonrisas – which represents the future of Cesvi in the country – is in progress

PRIORITY COUNTRIES:

PERU: combat deforestation, forest protection and conservation, agroforestry system

Catholic Relief Services works to catalyse truly transformational change by meeting immediate needs while addressing — in close collaboration with local and international Church, civil society, government, and private sector partners — the complex, multi-dimensional, and systemic nature of poverty, vulnerability, and injustice.

CRS has developed a conceptual framework for their work — the Integral human development model — that places the dignity of the human person at the centre of all that they do. This model is based on the idea that personal well-being can only be achieved in the context of just and peaceful relationships and societies. Catholic Relief Services has been carrying out the commitment of the Catholic Bishops and the Catholic community of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.

Donors/Partners:

Catholic Relief Services has the Interamerican Development Bank, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Keurig Dr Pepper as donors.

Key activities

Catholic Relief Services’ activities include implementation of the Water Smart Agriculture approach through landscape restoration and water management for increasing productivity and providing quality water services in the rural communities, as well as community institutional strengthening on water governance and management.

Catholic Relief Services is running the Blue Harvest Coffee project to promote high quality coffee as a way to improve farmers’ income, as well as diversification and payment for environmental services as alternative sources of income. The project applies WSA practices and coffee processing techniques to reduce water consumption on coffee milling and improve management of water waste.

Signature projects/tools:

• Water Smart Agriculture
• Blue Harvest Coffee

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities:

Guatemala: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputs

El Salvador: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputs

Haiti: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputs

Honduras: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputs

Mexico: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputsNicaragua: Labour conditions – Water conservation – Forest conservation & restoration – Technical Assistance – Standards & Certification – Access to inputs

Conservation International uses science, policy and partnerships to protect the nature that people rely on for food, fresh water and livelihoods. Founded in 1987, Conservation International works in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a healthy, prosperous planet that supports us all.

For over 20 years, Conservation International has worked partnership with coffee producers and the broader industry to promote sustainable practices that retain the rich biodiversity of coffee producing landscapes. Conservation International has worked with smallholder coffee farmers to understand their vulnerabilities to climate change, and to identify ecosystem-based solutions. Conservation International’s renowned coffee programme has directly impacted producers and communities across more than 12 coffee producing countries.

Donors/Partners:

Conservation International works with a network of more than 2000 partners, including bilateral and multilateral donors, development banks, research institutions and civil society organizations around the globe. For their coffee work, they have long-standing partnerships with industry actors as well as public donors.

Key activities:

Conservation International’s coffee programme promotes sustainable coffee landscape through practices that combine conservation, production improvements and constructive engagements to achieve sustainable coffee production and improved livelihoods. They support improved coffee production through research, land use planning and effective incentive programmes that promote forest and wildlife conservation. They also encourage government and corporate policies that support sustainable coffee through policy guidance and partnerships with companies on their sustainable sourcing and supply chain investment strategies.

Conservation International also aims to scale and mainstream solutions, by convening the Sustainable Coffee Challenge – a sector-wide coalition to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product.

Signature projects/tools:

A selection of Conservation International work on coffee can be found in the following online resources:

• Sustainable Coffee Challenge (www.sustaincoffee.org)
• Conservation Stewards Program (https://www.conservation.org/about/conservation-stewards-program)
• Sustainable Landscape Partnership – Peru (https://www.conservation.org/stories/implementing-forest-conservation-in-perus-alto-mayo-region)
• Sustainable Landscape Partnership – Indonesia (https://www.conservation.org/projects/sustainable-landscapes-partnership)
• 20+ year partnership with Starbucks (www.conservation.org/starbucks)
• CASCADE (https://www.conservation.org/projects/cascade-program)
• Conservation Ventures LLC (https://www.conservation.org/projects/conservation-international-ventures-llc)

Priority Countries and corresponding areas of activities:

Conservation International has offices in more than 30 countries, and work with more than 1,000 partner organizations on thousands of projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. An overview of Conservation International global presence can be found here.