Sucafina’s had released details on thier approach to building a sustainable value chain, which has its foundations from the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code, part of the Global Coffee Platform. Reading through Sucafina’s Impact page and the FAQ as well as their press release, I was immediately struck by two things.
- A distinct lack of management buzzwords.
- A focus on measurable results
I’ve been getting so used to writing about the poor way companies communicate their strategies, with undefined terms, vague outcomes (numbers of families ‘reached’), or the latest management buzzwords (“fungibly grow long-term high-impact alignments!”), that it comes as a pleasant relief to read something in plain language and know that there are companies out there that put the emphasis on communication over trying to look clever.
The company cites a number of key differences about their approach, including that:
- Most existing responsible sourcing programs focus on compliance alone.
- IMPACT is committed to implementing measurable improvement over time across 5 key IMPACT Goals.
- They guarantee minimum standards of social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
Instead of Environmental Social Governance (ESG), the focus areas are Environmental, Economic, and Social, which covers the key areas for coffee sustainability. The methodology obviously comes from a place of understanding in the industry rather than following an ISO approach. For example, the timing of an audit makes more sense during havesting. I’m looking forward to reading their impact reports and seeing how transparent they will be with the 3 yearly audits.
Press Release
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, NOVEMBER 1, 2022 – Sucafina, a leading sustainable Farm to Roaster coffee company, is launching IMPACT – the responsible sourcing program that benefits farmers, traders, and roasters to create a fairer, more resilient coffee industry. The IMPACT program includes a sustainability standard that guarantees compliance with environmental, social, and economic best practices while also driving measurable, positive change in five key areas of sustainability.
From climate change and deforestation to human rights, poverty, and unsustainable farm practices, the coffee supply chain faces major challenges. Sucafina is committed to working with partners along the value chain to foster a more sustainable coffee industry. The IMPACT program is designed to ensure that the most pressing sustainability needs are met at coffee’s origin while enabling other stakeholders to achieve their sustainability goals.
At Sucafina, we are committed to respecting sustainable and ethical standards in all our operations, especially in our direct supply chains. The IMPACT program pushes the needle even further by elevating and rewarding farmers for their role in reshaping the coffee industry for good while also increasing the supply of fully traceable, responsibly sourced coffee to help roasters meet their sustainability commitments.
Justin Archer, Head of Sustainability at Sucafina
At the heart of the program is the IMPACT Sustainability Standard. To be classified as ‘sustainably sourced,’ all farmers and facilities in a supply chain must comply with 10 mandatory Critical Indicators – designed to eliminate human rights abuses – as well as the required number of Improvement Indicators, which cover all other sets of sustainable practices and must be improved over time.
The indicators are modelled on the Global Coffee Platform’s Sustainability Reference Code – the industry standard for benchmarking responsible sourcing programs. Supply chains will be audited by a third party every three years – during harvest season to properly test the adoption of best practices. All IMPACT-verified coffee will be fully traceable to the farmer level.
With many existing standards, the focus is on compliance. IMPACT goes further by also delivering measurable improvement across five IMPACT Goals: 1) reducing carbon emissions; 2) reducing deforestation; 3) promoting human rights for farmers and farm workers; 4) improving living income for farmers; and 5) increasing the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices among farmers.
Sucafina will systematically collect supply-chain data and partner with farmers, roasters, and other stakeholders to design and implement projects that deliver transformation across these five key areas of sustainability in coffee and create shared value for all.
Farmers are at the heart of our business. They must be at the heart of our sustainability goals and practices. IMPACT gives Sucafina the opportunity to play a leading role in reshaping the industry and supporting coffee growers in making sustainable and profitable choices. It furthers our purpose of delivering sustainable, shared value across the supply chain.
Nicolas A. Tamari, CEO of Sucafina
Sucafina origins have already started to implement IMPACT in their supply chains and will offer IMPACT-verified shipments from certain origins as of early 2023. The goal is for all of Sucafina’s direct supply chains to become IMPACT verified by 2025.
Sucafina invites interested roasters to contact their trader to learn more.
Read more here: https://group.sucafina.com/impact/
