Four leading sustainability and development organizations have announced a joint effort to create a unified framework for responsible green coffee procurement. The Global Coffee Platform (GCP), German development agency GIZ, sustainable trade organization IDH, and civil society group Solidaridad are merging existing projects to develop the "Coffee Sector Guidance for Responsible Procurement," aimed at providing practical guidance for buyers.
This new initiative combines two parallel workstreams into a single, broader effort. The first was a project by GCP, IDH, and Solidaridad that established two "Common Procurement Principles" with 14 major traders and roasters earlier this year. The second was a GIZ-led project focused on German retailers. By joining forces, the groups intend to move beyond broad principles to create specific, actionable guidance for companies throughout the supply chain.
The project targets the persistent issue of inequitable value distribution in the coffee sector, which often leaves smallholder producers economically vulnerable. Industry analysis has shown that even periods of high market prices have not fundamentally altered a trade structure where producers bear disproportionate risk. The guidance aims to foster more stable, long-term business relationships and a more equitable sharing of costs and risks to support farmer incomes and build a more resilient coffee supply chain.