Major Coffee Groups Combine Efforts Toward Responsible Procurement

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Global Coffee Platform, GIZ, IDH and Solidaridad are combining existing work to develop Coffee Sector Guidance for Responsible Procurement. The effort aims to turn broad purchasing principles into practical guidance; consultation and revision are scheduled to continue through the second quarter of 2027.

Global Coffee Platform (GCP), GIZ, IDH and Solidaridad have joined efforts to develop shared Coffee Sector Guidance for Responsible Procurement, combining existing work on how companies buy green coffee. The initiative is intended to turn broad sustainability principles into practical purchasing guidance that could support farmer incomes and more resilient supply chains; the organizations are currently shaping a common vision, not announcing a completed standard.

The initiative brings together work led by GCP, IDH and Solidaridad with a separate effort led by GIZ involving German retailers. Sustainable Food Lab is facilitating the combined project. GCP said 18 companies are supporting development of the guidance, and the organizations expect other producers, exporters, traders, roasters, retailers and civil society groups to take part.

The earlier GCP-led work produced two Common Procurement Principles in March, developed with 14 coffee traders and roasters. They called for longer-term commercial relationships, better recognition of the costs of sustainable production, and more sharing of sustainability costs and risks. The new effort is intended to develop more specific guidance from those principles and GIZ’s parallel work.

Companies involved in the earlier GCP-led effort include Caravela, Ecom, Export Trading Company, Illycaffè, JDE Peet’s, Louis Dreyfus Company, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe, Ofi, Sucafina, Sucden Coffee, Taylors of Harrogate, Touton, UCC and Volcafe. GIZ’s project has involved German retailers dm-drogerie markt, Kaufland, Lidl and REWE Group. The source report does not provide a finalized set of procurement requirements or say that the named organizations have adopted a binding standard.

How Purchasing Rules Could Affect Farmers

Purchasing decisions can affect the prices and terms suppliers receive, the duration of commercial relationships, and who carries costs and risks tied to sustainability measures. The groups’ stated aim is to help companies put responsible procurement principles into practice, with farmer incomes and supply-chain resilience among the intended concerns.

The issue matters because coffee production depends on millions of smallholder farming families, while the source report describes persistent challenges including poverty, food insecurity and unsafe labor. It also cites concerns that producers remain exposed to price and climate shocks even when market prices are high. The guidance could influence business practices if companies use it, but its eventual reach and effects have not yet been established.

From Shared Principles to Practical Guidance

The project builds on, rather than replaces, work already under way. In March, GCP, IDH and Solidaridad published two Common Procurement Principles with 14 traders and roasters. Separately, GIZ had been working with German retailers on coffee procurement. The announced development is the decision to combine those streams into a shared guidance process.

The source report points to two pieces of context for the initiative. A 2024 report by GCP, IDH and Solidaridad found that the sector generates enough overall value to support profitability across the chain, but that uneven distribution can make coffee farming economically unviable. The 2026 Coffee Barometer argued that high coffee prices had not fundamentally changed a system marked by short-term trading relationships and disproportionate risks for producers. These findings provide context for the project’s focus; they do not establish what the new guidance will require.

““shape a common vision for developing” the guidance”

— The four organizations, as described by Global Coffee Platform

What the Guidance Will Require

The organizations have not yet published the guidance itself, so specific purchasing requirements, measures of compliance and implementation arrangements remain unknown. The source report also does not explain whether participation will be voluntary, how companies’ progress might be assessed, or what commitments supporting companies have made beyond helping develop the guidance.

The initiative’s eventual membership and influence are also unsettled. More industry and civil society participants are expected, but the report does not name them or say how producers and smallholder farmers will be represented in decision-making. No outcomes for farmer incomes, prices or supply-chain resilience have been reported.

Consultation Runs Through 2027

Consultation and revision are scheduled to continue through the second quarter of 2027, according to GCP. During that period, the participating groups are expected to develop the guidance and involve additional actors across the coffee sector. The source report does not give a publication date beyond that consultation schedule.

The next details to watch for are the draft’s concrete procurement recommendations, the organizations and groups consulted, and how companies may use or report against the final guidance. Until those elements are made public, the project is best understood as a joint development effort with stated aims, not evidence that procurement practices or farmer outcomes have already changed.

Key Questions

Which organizations are developing the guidance?

Global Coffee Platform, GIZ, IDH and Solidaridad are combining their work. Sustainable Food Lab is facilitating the project.

What is the guidance intended to do?

The initiative aims to provide coffee companies with practical purchasing guidance informed by existing principles on longer-term relationships, sustainable production costs, and sharing sustainability costs and risks. Its final requirements have not been published.

When is the guidance expected to be completed?

GCP said consultation and revision are scheduled to continue through the second quarter of 2027. The source report does not state a final release date.

Are the companies already required to follow the principles?

The report describes a guidance-development effort and does not say the principles are binding or that participating companies have adopted a mandatory standard.

How many companies are supporting development?

GCP said 18 companies are supporting development. The report also names companies involved in the earlier GCP-led initiative and retailers involved in GIZ’s parallel project.

Source: rss