KÖLN, Germany — 4C announces the publication of its first Approach & Impact Report. This report showcases 4C’s development since its transition from verification to certification in 2018 and the impact that has been achieved over the years. The 4C Approach & Impact Report tells the comprehensive story of how 4C has supported the sustainable development of the coffee sector over the years.
The report especially shines a light on the continuous improvements and developments of the 4C system, which have made it the globally leading certification system that it is today. In order to reach this comprehensive standard, covering environmental, social and economic sustainability dimensions, key improvements in areas such as risk assessment, traceability, capacity building and regular integrity audits have been implemented as outlined in the report.
For the Approach & Impact Report 4C worked on finding science-based solutions for the complex topic of comprehensive impact assessment.
The “Theory of Change” that the 4C Approach & Impact Report is based on, was created in a thorough process, mapping activities, strategies and goals. The impact assessment further draws on carefully analyzed data from the 4C database, including evaluations of numerous audit reports and results of internal assessments. Furthermore, the report includes results from comprehensive surveys conducted among the 4C certified producer groups and certification bodies cooperating with 4C, as well as feedback from additional stakeholder groups, including industry and trade actors, civil society and research organizations.
4C, as a certification system, creates impact in various ways within the coffee sector; through fostering good agricultural practices, preventing deforestation, promoting climate friendly coffee cultivation and improving livelihoods of stallholder farmers.
Beyond assurance services, 4C actively participates in initiatives and develops projects which are also reflected in the report. 4C’s projects focus on important topics such as reducing the carbon footprint of coffee value chains, empowering women and increasing biodiversity in coffee growing regions. To further illustrate the impact of 4C, the report also includes several case studies.
This is the first impact report for 4C, which is part of our monitoring and continuous improvement process. 4C aims to maintain the tradition of publishing impact reports on a regular basis as a tool to test and evaluate the effectiveness of its certification system.
4C’s first and foremost goal is to anchor sustainability in the coffee supply chain and support both parties on the producing and consuming side on their path to a more resilient and sustainable coffee world. In this way, 4C contributes to coffee tasting great while also serving the people who produce it and the planet who provides it!
About 4C
4C is a leading sustainability certification scheme for the coffee industry. 4C certification focuses on good agricultural and management practices, including requirements on economic, social and environmental conditions for coffee production and processing in order to establish credible sustainable and transparent supply chains.
