MILAN – Nominations are now open for the 2020 SCA Sustainability Awards. The deadline to submit an application is December 20, 2019. The Sustainability Awards were created in 2004 to promote, encourage and honor the efforts of those serving as role models through sustainable projects in the coffee sector. There are three categories for this award, which will be presented in April 2020 at Re:co Symposium in Portland, USA.
Sustainability Award: Individual
This award recognizes an individual leader who has significantly contributed to advancing sustainability in the coffee industry. This could be through raising awareness of key issues or developing a project or business model that generates positive social and environmental impacts. Please note that individuals must have spent at least three years working in coffee to be eligible for this award and that products, companies, business models, and ideas do not qualify for the award.
Esperanza Dionisio Castillo, an agronomist by profession and the manager of the cooperative Pangoa, received the 2019 Sustainability Award in the Individual category for her work investigating the marketing of coffee. Her work with this organization constantly sought social, environmental, and economic development of members and collaborators.
Sustainability Award: Project
This award celebrates innovative projects to expand and promote sustainability within the coffee world. This annual award is open to SCA members who are involved in the coffee industry. Applications must be submitted on behalf of a project implemented for a minimum of three years. Individuals, organizations, businesses, farms, and cooperatives may submit applications for multiple projects or programs.
“Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and climate resilience at Yayu Biosphere Reserve” by Union Hand-Roasted Coffee received the 2019 Sustainability Award in the Project category. The project is located in Yayu Biosphere reserve, in the Illubabor Zone of Oromiya Regional State, in the south-western part of Ethiopia. At Yayu, coffee generates up to 70% of the cash income for over 90% of the population. The project benefited five cooperatives with a total of 950 members directly, with an average of 5.5 individuals per household we estimated 5225 individuals have been affected, including 2600 women.
Sustainability Award: Business Model
In addition to recognizing the hard work of the individuals, businesses and organizations who created and implemented the business model, the award aims to inspire others to initiate similar endeavors. This annual award is open to SCA members who are involved in the coffee industry. Applications must be submitted by, or on behalf of, a business model implemented for a minimum of three years. Individuals, organizations, businesses, farms, and cooperatives may submit applications for multiple business models.
Agricafe, a family business that has been devoted to the production, commerce, roasting, and export of coffee for over 30 years now, received the 2019 Sustainability Award in the Business Model category. The company works from a business model of strategic alliances with producers in the region, allowing them to stand out with quality and consistency while making a contribution to families’ economies in the regions where they are developing as a company.
To know more:
Visit sca.coffee to learn more about the criteria for each category and to submit a nomination. The deadline to submit an application is December 20, 2019. Award recipients will be notified by February 1, 2020.
The Awards Committee of the SCA Sustainability Center will review all applications and consider a wide range of applicants, reflecting the depth and breadth of sustainable work being done in all areas across the specialty coffee industry.
If you have any questions on how to complete your application, please contact sustainability@sca.coffee.
