What is responsibly sourced coffee?
Sourcing coffee responsibly
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Sourcing coffee responsibly means making sure our coffee meets sustainability standards and that programs are checked by external bodies brings benefits throughout the value chain and supports the future supply of higher quality coffee.
What is responsibly sourced coffee?
Making sure our coffee meets sustainability standards and that programs are checked by external bodies brings benefits throughout the value chain and supports the future supply of higher quality coffee.
Commitment to responsibly sourced coffee
Our commitment to responsibly sourced coffee is the cornerstone of the NESCAFÉ® Plan. Since 2010, we have increased the amount of responsibly sourced coffee we buy from our suppliers (and farmers) to reach 75% of our global volumes. In New Zealand, all of our NESCAFÉ® coffees are already made from 100% responsibly sourced coffee beans.
"Our commitment to responsibly sourced coffee is the cornerstone of the NESCAFÉ® Plan"
Verification and standards
Responsibly sourced coffee is traceable to the group of farms where it was grown and is produced in accordance with sustainability standards that have been validated as equivalent to our Responsible Sourcing Standard. Traceability and compliance are verified by independent organizations, such as 4C Services, the Rainforest Alliance, and Fairtrade, which deploy accredited local auditors to assess a range of factors, including social, environmental, economic, and health and safety conditions at farms.
Positive benefits throughout the value chain
This brings positive benefits throughout the value chain and supports the future supply of higher quality coffee. It gives us clearer visibility about where the coffee came from and how it was grown. At the same time, farmers benefit from accessing markets for sustainable coffee, improving their farming practices, and earning a premium for their coffee. The “win” extends to consumers, who can be assured of a high-quality and sustainably produced product, and can make informed choices about their purchase
Identifying and addressing sustainability challenges
These programs also allow us to identify sustainability challenges that need more targeted interventions. For example, we have identified labour rights hotspots, such as Mexico, and we are working to improve our ability to monitor and detect potential violations. This allows us to take focused remediation actions to support improvements as a required condition to continue commercial relations with those farms.
Partnering with 4C Services
Our partner, 4C Services, has played a major role in making our Responsible Sourcing program more inclusive to smallholder farmers. By managing many 4C farmer units ourselves since the earliest years of the NESCAFÉ® Plan, we have been able to follow the sustainability journey of thousands of our coffee farmers and realise net improvements through each re-certification cycle.
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