BONN, Germany – Seven sustainability schemes have been newly recognized by the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) as equivalent to the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (Coffee SR Code), demonstrating the drive for critical sector alignment needed for coffee sustainability.
“We’re delighted to add seven more names to the list of sustainability schemes GCP recognizes as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code this year,” said GCP Executive Director, Annette Pensel.
“We applaud the action by these GCP Members to step up and align as a sector. This commitment to the use of a common language and the increasing openness to transparency is a critical feature to understanding, advancing, and accelerating coffee sustainability together.”
GCP announced today the recognition of Exportadora de Café Guaxupé’s Guaxupé Planet, Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe’s NKG Bloom, ofi’s AtSourceV and AtSource+, Racafé’s CRECER, and 3E by RGC Coffee as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code, 2nd party assurance.
Sector alignment for coffee sustainability
All GCP-recognized sustainability schemes went through a thorough assessment for equivalence. It has been a year since GCP released the Equivalence Mechanism 2.0, which saw the tool being strengthened with stricter sustainability criteria (aligned with the Coffee SR Code) and operational criteria.
The Coffee SR Code is a sector-wide reference on the foundations of sustainability in economic, social and environmental dimensions for green coffee production and primary processing worldwide.
In addition, the GCP Equivalence Mechanism defines the set of operational criteria that ensures a credible and effective system for implementation and includes governance, standard-setting, assurance, data and claims requirements.
For the assessment of the sustainability schemes, GCP partnered with the International Trade Centre, which, as GCP’s implementation partner, assessed the schemes against the principles and practices of the Coffee SR Code and the operational criteria of the Equivalence Mechanism 2.0, ensuring the integrity of the recognition process.
All sustainability schemes recognized by GCP are eligible for roasters and retailers to be included in the annual GCP Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases, another way companies are aligning and increasing transparency to advance coffee sustainability globally.
The Equivalence Mechanism, together with the Coffee SR Code and the GCP Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases, are connected assets developed by GCP to offer a common language on the foundations for coffee sustainability and promote the supply and demand of coffee produced following at least baseline sustainability principles.
The summary report of the 2022 Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases was published in September and the next round of reporting on 2023 coffee volumes is set to begin in Q2, 2024.
This is the third and last round of sustainability schemes that GCP has announced as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code under the Equivalence Mechanism 2.0 in 2023. The transition period from schemes that have been recognized as equivalent to previous versions of the Equivalence Mechanism has ended. Applications are now open for additional schemes interested in being assessed.
The next round of assessment is planned to be announced at the end of March 2024 and schemes included in that round will be eligible – together with all the schemes recognized in 2023 – for reporting in the upcoming GCP Collective Reporting on 2023 Sustainable Coffee Purchases.
