'an outstanding and unique contribution to the communication of sustainable development and human rights.' BBC World Service One World Awards, 2006
Consumers International's Just Coffee documentary picked up a special award at the BBC World Service One World Awards in June 2006. The film won special commendation in the Development Media category as 'an outstanding and unique contribution to the communication of sustainable development and human rights.' .
Just Coffee takes a look at the different types of certified coffees on the market and assesses the benefits for coffee producers and consumers.
The coffee industry has suffered a crisis in recent years, with the price of raw coffee reaching its lowest price for over a century. There are an estimated 25 million small-scale coffee farmers in the developing world and the drop in price has cost them a staggering $4.5 billion a year. This has had a catastrophic knock-on effect for workers, the local community and the future sustainability of the entire coffee industry.
Many experts see the emerging certified coffee market as providing part of the solution to this crisis. These coffees come with an independently certified guarantee that the product has been produced to a set of specific standards relating to fair trade, environmental protection or social development. The implementation and monitoring of these standards are funded by the slightly higher price, or premium, that consumers pay for the coffee. The last decade has seen a growing number of certification bodies establishing sustainable initiatives with coffee farmers in the developing world.
These various certification schemes are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. There is a realisation among coffee drinkers that they have the potential to influence the social and environmental standards in coffee producing nations.This is a real and meaningful choice; empowering the consumer and providing the producer with a means to sustainability.
Certified coffee programmes are now active in over 30 producer nations, selling in over 20 consumer countries. However, this growing range of consumer choice is now causing its own problems. Some argue that too many labels will dilute the value of certification and leave consumers confused about what is on offer. Without adequate consumer information about what certification actually means, the sector is at risk of becoming a victim of its own success.
Just Coffee takes a look at four of the biggest certification labels on the market: Utz Kapeh, Rainforest Alliance, Organic and Fair Trade. It examines what they offer the consumer and how they benefit the producer. The film talks to large-scale coffee plantations and small-scale cooperatives in Brazil about the differences certification has made to their community and their local environment. It also speaks to coffee roasters, trade officials, labelling organisations and retailers in Europe about what they are doing to develop the certified coffee market.
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