The 4C Association Reports Continued Expansion
Press Release--Bonn, 28 June 2012
The 4C Association, the global sustainability platform for the coffee sector, today released its 2011 annual report. Entitled “Moving Further”, it documents the Association’s major achievements and impressive growth over the past year.
By the end of 2011, 79 coffee producing entities (4C Units), encompassing over 455,000 farmers and workers in 16 countries, had been independently verified to comply with the 4C Code of Conduct. This Code is the baseline sustainability standard for the production and processing of green coffee. The aggregate production potential of these 4C Units amounted to over 15 million bags of 4C Compliant Coffee, representing nearly twelve percent of today’s global coffee supply.
On the demand side, purchases of 4C Compliant Coffee more than doubled during coffee year 2010/11 compared to the previous period, reaching 810,291 bags (approx. 48,000 tonnes). Purchasing figures for coffee year 2011/2012 will be released in November 2012.
As a pre-competitive initiative, the 4C Association does not only promote its own baseline standard and verification system. It also collaborates closely with other sustainability initiatives such as UTZ Certified and the Rainforest Alliance, which are both 4C Members. The objective is to promote supply and demand of verified and certified coffees in the market.
“It is very encouraging to see that the volumes of verified and certified coffee are growing steadily and that more and more companies are committing to sustainable purchasing. However, there is still a lot of untapped potential to advance sustainability in the sector by bringing actors together. The 4C Association is committed to be the platform that enables all coffee stakeholders to join together in forging long-term solutions through joint projects and partnerships”, stated Melanie Rutten-Sülz, 4C Executive Director.
A platform to expand sustainability in the coffee sector
Membership in the 4C Association also grew considerably over the last year. As of 1 June 2012, the 4C Association had 167 members, an increase of nearly 25% from the same period in 2011. The most significant growth in membership was seen among coffee producers, traders and roasters.1
The 4C Association offers its members and other coffee actors a platform where they can identify and address overarching sustainability challenges and translate ideas into actions. For instance, it co-organized the first Regional Forum on Coffee and Climate Change in El Salvador in 2011. The Forum brought together for the first time, representatives of the main stakeholders in the Central American coffee sector to jointly define a Coffee Agenda for the Adaptation to Climate Change for the entire region (ACCCCA). Other activities and services include sustainability forums, thematic working groups and acquisition of project funding on specific sustainability issues.
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To access the annual report click here.
Media Contacts:
For media inquiries, please contact Verónica Pérez Sueiro: +49 176 27424440, veronica.perez@4ccoffeeassociation.org