New Commitments Deepen Impact, Reach of Sustainable Coffee Challenge

2021 Commitments Hub Report shows increased focus on grower well-being

Arlington, VA (October 1, 2021) – Today, on International Coffee Day, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge released its 2021 Commitments Hub Report. The report captures a year’s worth of activity on the Commitments Hub platform, where 164 Challenge partners and other stakeholders pledge to create a more sustainable coffee supply chain. This year’s report indicates a growing focus on improving well-being and prosperity for those within the coffee supply chain, with commitments of this type rising 26% since last year. 

Other key findings of the report include:

•  29% of all commitments made on the Commitments Hub are new this year
• Commitments extended to eight new countries, expanding the Challenge’s geographic footprint by 24%, most heavily in Latin America
• The number of stakeholders pledging these commitments rose 22%, totaling 99 stakeholders as of summer 2021
• Commitments targeting forest conservation and reforestation are the most popular (51 commitments), followed by climate change (42) and education and health (41)

Commitments toward improving prosperity focus on ensuring that coffee contributes to improved income and profitability that advances sustainable development opportunities for 25 million coffee growers, workers and their families.

“It’s particularly heartening to see such an increase in well-being focused pledges after a year when so many livelihoods in agriculture were threatened by the pandemic,” said Raina Lang, Senior Director of Sustainable Coffee at Conservation International, which facilitates the Sustainable Coffee Challenge. “While these new and ongoing commitments will surely impact the coffee supply chain, we look forward to tracking progress against these pledges, in addition to seeing new, ambitious commitments in the coming year that continue to address challenges across the sector.”

The Sustainable Coffee Challenge is a collaborative effort of companies, governments, NGOs, research institutions and others to transition the coffee sector to be fully sustainable. Challenge partners are urgently working together to increase transparency, align around a common vision for sustainability and collaborate to accelerate progress toward those goals.

The Commitments Hub collects and tracks sustainability pledges from stakeholders and partners. These commitments generally take the form of investments and actions designed to achieve specific targets or outcomes on both global and local scales.

Find full 2021 Commitments Hub Report here, or start your own commitment using the resources here.

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Conservation International works to protect the critical benefits that nature provides to people. Through science, partnerships and fieldwork, Conservation International is driving innovation and investments in nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, supporting protections for critical habitats, and fostering economic development that is grounded in the conservation of nature. Conservation International works in 30 countries around the world, empowering societies at all levels to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet. Follow Conservation International's work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and  YouTube.