BONN, Germany — The Global Coffee Platform (GCP) and its 150+ Members welcome British multinational grocery chain Tesco, one of the largest retailers in the world, to their shared coffee sustainability journey.
It is the first retailer in the United Kingdom to join the platform.
This membership will allow the company to exchange good business practices, drive innovation and join forces with fellow members to create a resilient, sustainable coffee industry.
Tesco has strengthened their sustainability work in other commodities such as tea, banana and cocoa, and now it aims to bring their coffee to a similar level. This is reflected in their Little Helps Plan, which seeks to enable customers to enjoy good quality and sustainable products at affordable prices.
This has been primarily done through a combination of both Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade certification (also GCP members).
According to Marcel Clement, Director Markets Transformation at Rainforest Alliance and Global Coffee Platform Board Member:
“Rainforest Alliance commends Tesco for their commitment to sustainably grown coffee, among other commodities, thereby helping drive the well-being of farmers and farm communities […] We are especially proud to be working with Tesco to move all their uncertified coffee towards Rainforest Alliance certification to drive even greater impact.”
As certification is one of many ways to ensure the long-term well-being of farms and farm communities, Tesco also identified GCP’s potential to drive meaningful change in the coffee industry.
According to Annette Pensel, GCP’s Executive Director: “Tesco is now part of a collective purpose. We need to work together with both public and private sector to address key threats like climate change but also towards entire sector sustainability. This is only possible if we multiply our efforts and investments to generate greater impact on farmer’s livelihoods. We want to welcome Tesco to our organization and we are quite excited to see what we can achieve together.”
