26 May 2016

On May 1st the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) launched, accompanied by the launch of their new website. The GCP is the result of a merger between the Sustainable Coffee Program (SCP) and the 4C association. Following the work that IDH and its partners have done in building the SCP—from setting up national platforms for collective action to National Sustainability Curricula to establish locally relevant baseline-standards for sustainability—it will now transition into a permanent home for sustainability in the coffee sector. The merger with the 4C Association team brings knowledge and industry-wide reach across all categories of stakeholders. The new partnership, embodied in the GCP, will pick up the daunting challenge of making coffee the first sector that can call itself truly sustainable.

The merger comes at a time that the separation is completed between the 4C Association and the 4C standard. The operations related to the standard will now be taken over by the Coffee Assurance Services (CAS). IDH will remain active in the coffee sector, partially by contributing to the development and running of the GCP, and separately through the IDH Coffee Program. The latter will focus on driving innovation in the sector and fund field level projects with that aim.

NewForesight has strong partnerships with both the Sustainable Coffee Program and the 4C Association. We managed the development of the SCP and supported the team again in this dynamic phase. With the 4C, NewForesight worked through the development of a new business model and a reform that paved the way for the current merger. We look forward to continue our strong partnership in the future, with the GCP.]