Working to Make Coffee the World’s First Sustainable Agricultural Commodity

At Fair Trade USA we have long worked with a diverse range of stakeholders to deliver on our mission to empower farmers and workers around the world. Beyond the producer organizations at the heart of our movement we work with governments, traders, companies, NGOs, foundations, advocacy organizations and a wide range of committed and energized individuals who share our goals in support of justice and sustainability in coffee.

Recently a new ally, the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, has emerged to help build a shared space for organizations to come together, share lessons and build a vision for coffee to become the world’s first sustainable agricultural commodity. This new effort comes at a time when coffee farmers are facing challenges on all fronts – from climate change induced diseases to historically low market prices. Amid these converging difficulties collaboration and renewed commitment are paramount to build real, sustainable change for coffee producers caught in the middle.

We are proud to be joining the Sustainable Coffee Challenge as work begins to develop frameworks for collaboration and a shared vision for the industry. In the coming months and years we will continue to support this effort through a number of avenues, including (as a start) the convening of a collective action network exploring sourcing as a platform for progress at the upcoming Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle.

Stay tuned as we continue with our work to support coffee farmers and workers through collaborative efforts like the Sustainable Coffee Challenge. Meanwhile we encourage you to act by regularly purchasing Fair Trade Certified™ coffee – remember you have the power to vote with your dollar to support responsible companies, empower farmers & workers, and protect the environment.