The Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) addresses the mainstream coffee industry providing with a set of practices on the way towards a more sustainable production, post-harvest processing and trading of coffee worldwide.
The 4C Association is an open and inclusive membership driven organization of coffee farmers, trade and industry and civil society, Members from around the world work jointly towards more sustainable and transparent practices, improving economic, social and environmental conditions for all who make a living in the coffee sector.
The 4C Association excludes the worst forms of social, environmental and economic practices in the production, post-harvest processing and trading of green coffee, determining 10 unacceptable practices to be eliminated as a precondition to access the 4C scheme.
Beyond the exclusion of unacceptable practices the 4C Code of Conduct covers further 28 social, environmental and economic principles for all actors in the mainstream coffee supply chain (such as farmers, plantations, producer organizations, estates, mills, exporters, traders, etc.).
The 4C Code of Conduct has been revised in May 2009 and from July 2010 on, all 4C Units will be verified against the revised code. The previous Code of Conduct thus is valid until June 2010.
| Sub-Category |
Private Sector
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| Standard for |
Coffee
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| Focus |
baseline requirements for sustainable production, processing & trade in the mainstream coffee industry. Step stone for more demanding sustainability standards.
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| Structure |
Main pillars of 4C are a Code of Conduct, Rules of Participation for trade and industry, Support Mechanisms for coffee farmers, a Verification System and a Participatory Governance Structure. The scope of the 4C Code of Conduct covers the three dimensions of sustainability, based on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals:
- Society: Decent working and living conditions for farmers and their families as well as employees.
- Environment: Protection of primary forest and conservation of natural resources such as water, soil, biodiversity and energy.
- Economy: Economic viability is the basis for social welfare and sustainability. This includes reasonable earnings for all actors in the coffee chain, free market access and sustainable livelihoods.
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| Conformity Requirements |
The 10 Unacceptable Practices entail the worst forms of social, environmental and economic practices in the production, post-harvest processing and trading of green coffee:
- Worst forms of child labour (referring to ILO Convention 182)
- Bonded and forced labour (referring to ILO Conventions 29 and 105)
- Trafficking of persons ( UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Protocols on Trafficking and Smuggling, adopted 2000, effective December 2003)
- Prohibiting membership of or representation by a trade union (referring to ILO Convention 87 and 98)
- Forced eviction without adequate compensation (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Art. 11; General Comment no.7 on the rights to adequate housing (E/C.12/1997/4); Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1993/77 on Forced Eviction; Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights Resolution 1998/9 on Forced Evictions)
- Failure to provide adequate housing where required by workers (referring to ILO Convention 110 on Plantations)
- Failure to provide potable water to all workers (referring to the United Nations´ Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002)
- Cutting of primary forest or destruction of other forms of natural resources that are designated as protected areas by national and/or international legislation
- Use of pesticides banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and listed in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
- Immoral transactions in business relations according to international covenants, national law and practices (referring to OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods)
The exclusion of unacceptable practices must be documented in a self-assessment report. The 4C Code Matrix, consists of 28 principles. The concept of sustainability is specified in categories, principles and criteria. Categories refer to the main aspects of the production, post-harvest processing and trading of green coffee. Principles are positive statements indicating the desired performance for each of the practices listed. To assess the performance of a 4C Unit, criteria specify the compliance with the requirements of these principles.
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| Auditing System |
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| Geographic Focus |
international, 4C Association has four regional offices operating in Africa (Uganda), Central America (Guatemala), South America (Brazil) and Asia (Vietnam)
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| Website |
http://www.4c-coffeeassociation.org
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