Paulig works consistently for the sustainability of the coffee chain
Sustainability from bean to cup is an important topic for us because good taste and quality can only be achieved in sustainable conditions in the whole supply chain. That is why we have made a promise that all our coffee will be derived from sources which have been certified or verified to be responsible by the end of 2018. We are on schedule to meet this goal and this year 40% of the coffee we buy fulfills this criteria.
We have worked consistently already for over ten years in order to improve the traceability of coffee in the whole supply chain. Today almost 90% of our coffee can be traced back to coffee cooperatives and 40% back to farms.
All our suppliers have signed the Paulig Group Code of Conduct for Suppliers which is based on UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the ten principles of UN’s Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Paulig’s code of conduct prohibits child labor, forced labor and discrimination and includes requirements for securing freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
Paulig purchases about 50 million kilos of green coffee per year which is about one percent of the world’s annual coffee production. 90% of the coffee purchased by Paulig comes from 10 suppliers. In order to monitor the sustainability of the supply chain we have started systematic supplier audits in origin countries this year. In 2016 almost 20 audits will be done in Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia.
Sustainability is advanced by dialogue and cooperation
On October 18th Finnwatch published their report “Brewing up a sustainable coffee chain.” It is a review of the sustainability of coffee sold in Finland and its field research focuses mainly on the primary production of coffee in Brazil, Honduras and India. Regarding Paulig the report describes findings concerning two farms and one cooperative.
“At Paulig we have clear sustainability goals and we actively develop the operations in our supply chain and in cooperation with other coffee sector operators and stakeholders. We are aware of the questions regarding sustainable development in the coffee industry that need to be solved. We think that it is good that with its own research Finnwatch draws attention to the development of supply chains. In that sense we have a common goal of promoting the sustainability of the coffee supply chain, says Sourcing Manager Katariina Aho.
“We take the findings brought up in the report seriously and we will go through them in cooperation with organizations that supply certified coffee like Fair trade, UTZ and our other partners and we will take corrective actions if necessary. Advancing sustainability requires openness, cooperation and long-term commitment to this work.”
Read more about our sustainable sourcing.
