Building a Sustainable Cocoa Future: 4C Certification & The Importance of Local Voices – 19 February 2025, 14:00-15:00 CEST.

Improving Social Auditing Project: Base Line Study Results – 18 March 2025, 14:00-15:00 CEST.

The 4C EUDR Solution – 04 September 2024, 14:00-15:00 CEST.

Brewing a Better Future: Strengthening Living Income in Coffee – 8 October 2024, 14:00-15:00 CEST.

Enhancing coffee production and improving small-farmers resilience through Regenerative Agriculture  – 5 November 2024, 14:00 – 15:00 CET.

In October 2nd a free of charge webinar co-hosted by 4C, Meo Carbon Solutions, and ISCC was offered to present the project Fostering Social Auditing: Enhancing Issue Detection and Risk Identification through Responsive and Context-Specific Approaches

Made possible by a grant from the @ISEAL Innovations Fund, with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and UK International Development, this initiative aims to:

• Improve audit practices: Enhance internal and third-party audits to better detect social risks.
• Address hidden challenges: Develop more effective methods to identify and combat social issues like child labor, discrimination, and harassment.
• Foster sustainability: Promote a more transparent, ethical, and sustainable coffee supply chain.

Contact us for more details at info@4c-services.org

4C and GRAS are committed to supporting the coffee sector in meeting the requirements of the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR).

4C provides tailor-made solutions to EU importing and exporting operators and their suppliers covering topics such as:

• Utilizing available risk assessment tools for deforestation and land use change involving satellite image interpretation alongside additional data sourcing, including protected areas, conflict regions and human rights statistics or national indices like corruption rates or child labour risk.
• Drawing from on-the-ground experience gained through 4C certification and third-party verification to form the foundation for a robust due diligence case.
• Leveraging the existing 4C Portal to record the coffee flow throughout the supply chain and efficiently demonstrate traceability to compliant coffee production at origin for the due diligence process.

GRAS has developed a platform to help identify and address deforestation risks:

• The GRAS EUDRx platform comprises consignment-specific analysis and documentation, especially for operators who import or export EUDR commodities and the associated derivatives to the European Union.
• THE EUDRx conducts deforestation analysis of specified geodata, automated risk assessments to address the environmental, governance, and human rights, as well as identification of potential mitigation measures.
• For coffee and cocoa GRAS is affiliated with the certification system 4C, to offer a complete set of solutions to cover EUDR including deforestation analysis, legality check, traceability, and data provision and storage.

Contact us for more details at info@4c-services.org

Environmentally friendly coffee through Regenerative Agriculture – 29 November 2023 1:30-2:30pm CEST

Implementation of EUDR Requirements along the Supply Chain – 25 October 2023, 1:30-2:30pm CEST. 

Enhancing Human Rights Due Diligence in Coffee Supply Chains – 8 November 2023, 13:30 – 14:30 CEST

The Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture for Coffee- 3 May 2023, 1:30-3pm CEST. 

Preparing for Due Diligence & Zero-Deforestation Regulations – 19 April 2023, 1:30-3pm CEST

Improving Coffee Farmers’ Livelihoods and Protecting Human Rights

Regenerative Agriculture in Coffee Production – 06 July 2022, 1:30 – 3pm CEST

The Carbon Footprint of Coffee – 25 May 2022, 1:30 – 3pm CEST 

Note: We will add the presentation by Thünen as soon as the study has been published.

Gender Equality in the Coffee Sector – 08 June 2022, 1:30 – 3pm CEST

Risk Assessment & Traceability for Due Diligence – 22 June 2022, 1:30 – 3pm CEST

Following the successful online seminar series which 4C has started in 2020, and which have been already offered in English and in Spanish, an online seminar series in Portuguese was offered at the beginning of this year. The series covered strategic topics in sustainability today, both for suppliers as well for buyers in coffee supply chains.The topics and presentations can be checked below:

Adequando a Cadeia de Valor do Café às Exigências Internacionais de Due Diligence – 24 de março 2022

• Due Diligence para Commodities de Risco Florestal no Reino Unido 
  Augusto Luís Billi, Embaixada do Brasil no Reino Unido.
• Como o Green Deal irá impulsionar mudanças para os produtores, exportadores, traders e torrefadores brasileiros
  Michael von Luerhte.
• Certificação 4C como uma Ferramenta de Due Dilligence
  Mariana Barbosa, 4C Services.
• A implantação da Due Diligence do ponto de vista da produção
  Alexandre Costa Vieira Monteiro, Cooxupé.

Fortalecimento da Igualdade de Gênero e Desafios Sociais no Café – 10 March 2022

• Um Olhar Mais Profundo pela Certificação 4C
  Mariana Barbosa, 4C Services
• TBC
  Mércia Silva, InPacto
• IWCA Brasil: conectando e criando oportunidades para as mulheres do café
  Danielle Pereira Baliza, IWCA Brazil
• Grupo Cafeína Cocatrel: o empoderamento das mulheres produtoras na cadeia do café
  Carolina Veloso, Cocatrel

Um Caminho para a Neutralidade de Carbono no Café – 17 February 2022

• Projeto Cecafé: Balanço de gases de efeito estufa em três regiões cafeeiras de Minas Gerais
  Silvia Pizzol, CECAFE
• Café 4C Amigo do Clima
  Gustavo Bacchi, 4C Services
• Os desafios para a neutralidade do carbono na cadeia de valor do café
  Aguinaldo José de Lima, ABICS
• O roteiro da Nestlé para a neutralidade do carbono
  Pedro Malta Campos, Nestlé

Protecting biodiversity in coffee production – 18 November 2021

• Biodiversity loss in coffee production
  Alejandro Lozano, Fundación Humedales
• Improving biodiversity in coffee production in Vietnam
  Viet Ha Nguyen, 4C Services
• Protecting biodiversity in coffee landscapes through monitoring tree cover connectivity
  John Button, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
• Coffee-Related Deforestation Risk Assessment
  Franciska Radic, Global Risk Assessment Services

Strengthening gender equality & protecting children´s rights in the coffee sector – 4 November 2021

• Child Labour and the Protection of Children´s Rights
  Katia Masias-Bröcker and Betina Bacelis, 4C Services
• Mujeres Cafeteras: A Platform for Empowering Women Coffee Producers in Colombia
  María Camila López Rojas, Juan Valdez
• Coffee Dreams Come True! A Story of Thai Ethnic Minority Women Leading a Grassroots Social Enterprise in Vietnam’s Son La Province
  Hieu Le Xuan, CARE International Vietnam

Due Diligence and Supply Chain Requirements – 21 October 2021

• Swiss Legislative Approach to Child Labour Due Diligence
  Myriam Ait Yahia, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
• Due Diligence and Supply Chain Requirements in the Context of the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains
  Joshua Blach, Ruhr Universität Bochum
• Implementing Supply Chain Due Diligence
  Katia Masias-Bröcker, Meo Carbon Solutions

A Path to Coffee’s Climate Neutrality: From a Tree to a Cup – 6 October 2021

Carbon offsetting opportunities in the coffee sector
Dr. Claudia Bulgheroni, Meo Carbon Solutions

Every effort is needed to limit Global Warming
Prof. Dr. Gernot Klepper, Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Calculation and reduction of coffee’s carbon footprint and 4C Climate Friendly Coffee certification
Gustavo Bacchi, 4C Services and Julia Ostrowski, Meo Carbon Solutions

Due Diligence Requirements and Their Implications for Coffee Supply Chains – 10 June 2021

• Sustainable Coffee Production and Consumption – Statistics and Emerging Trends – Claudia Meier, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL, and Steffany Bermudez, International Institute for Sustainable Development.
• The Way Forward and the Coffee Sector’s Response to EU Due Diligence Requirements – Isabelle Lemmens, European Coffee Federation.
• Implementing Coffee Supply Chain Due Diligence – Norbert Schmitz, 4C.
• EU Action on Imported Deforestation – the Need for a Pro-active Response from the Coffee Industry – Fanny Gauttier and Niels Haak, Conservation International.

Zero-Deforestation, Biodiversity and Climate Adaptation: Safeguarding Coffee of the Future – 27 May 2021

• Putting Science into Action – a Novel Decision Support Tool for Climate Adaptation in Coffee Communities in Central America – Christian Bunn, The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
• How Does 4C Enable Prevention and Reduction of Coffee-Driven Deforestation? – Gustavo Bacchi, 4C.
• Biodiversity Management – Tools and Initiatives – Tobias Ludes, Global Nature Fund.

Coffee: Tasting Good, Improving Lives – 12 May 2021

• Living income: the Concept and Current Efforts in the Coffee Sector – Christina Archer, Sustainable Food Lab.
• Empowering Women and Strengthening Gender Equality in the Coffee Sector – Katia Masias Bröcker, 4C.
• Lessons Learned from Tackling Child Labour in the Cocoa Sector – Sarah Dekkiche, International Cacao Initiative.

Coffee Global Value Chains and Sustainability – 29 April 2021

• Robust and Credible Certification: Strengthening Sustainable Coffee Supply Chains – Myriel Camp, 4C.
• Global Coffee Development Report – Gerardo Patacconi, Head of Operations, ICO.
• The ICO Coffee Public-Private Task Force: A unique model of sector-wide collaboration – Wolfgang Weinmann, Coordinator of CPPTF ICO.

A Path to Coffee’s Climate Neutrality: From a Tree to a Cup – 15 April 2021

• Calculation and Reduction of Coffee’s Carbon Footprint and Climate Friendly Coffee Certification – Jan Henke, Meo Carbon Solutions GmbH.
• Nestlé’s Net Zero Carbon Roadmap – Marcelo Burity, Nestlé.
• Credible Sustainability Certification of Bio and Circular Packaging with ISCC PLUS – Inna Knelsen, ISCC.

La sostenibilidad como un requisito básico para la aceptación en el mercado – 04 Marzo 2021

• Abriendo Mercados con Certificaciones Sostenibles – Betina Bacelis, 4C Services GmbH.
• Producción y consumo de café sostenible en America Latina y el mundo – Claudia Meier, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL, y Steffany Bermudez, International Institute for Sustainable Development.
• La Travesía hacia la Sostenibilidad – Orlando García, Nestlé
• Panel de Entidades Gestoras 4C:
  • Diego Robles, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (Colombia);
  • Orlando García, Nestlé (México)
  • Jennifer Rojas, ED&F Man Volcafe (Perú)

¿Cómo abordar los desafíos sociales en la producción de café? – 18 Febrero 2021

• Mejorando las Condiciones de Vida y de Trabajo de los Pequeños Caficultores – Myriel Camp, 4C Services GmbH.
• La Ciencia de los Datos en la Lucha Contra el Trabajo Infantil – Daniele Martins, InPACTO.
• Comunidades Resilientes en Tiempos de Covid – Mayra Orellana-Powell, Alianza de Mujeres en Café, Honduras, y Catracha Coffee Company.

La huella de carbono del café y estrategias de adaptación al cambio climático – 04 de Febrero 2021

• El Cálculo de Gases de Efecto Invernadero en las Cadenas de Suministro de Café y la Certificación de Café 4C Amigable con el Clima – Gustavo Bacchi, 4C Services GmbH.
• Caficultura Resiliente al Cambio Climático: Políticas Potenciales – Sarah Gammage, The Nature Conservancy.
• Poniendo la Ciencia en Acción – Una Novedosa Herramienta de Apoyo en la Toma de Decisiones para la Adaptación Climática en las Comunidades Cafeteras de América Central – Christian Bunn, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.

Estableciendo cadenas de suministro de café libres de deforestación y respetuosas con la biodiversidad – 21 de Enero 2021

• 4C: Estableciendo cadenas de suministro libres de deforestación, Indira Palpa, 4C Services GmbH.
• Café y conservación: La taza de café que protege bosques, Dora Samaniego, Conservation International.
• Biodiversidad – Una aliada en el cultivo de café, Alejandro Lozano, Fundación Humedales.

Truly Green Bean: Deforestation-Free Supply Chains and Biodiversity Improvement: 30 September 2020

• 4C: Enabling Deforestation-Free Supply Chains, Dr Norbert Schmitz, 4C Services GmbH.
• Biodiversity Protection – Essential for Coffee Cultivation, Marion Hammerl, Bodensee Stiftung.
• The Time is Now: Coffee’s Potential to Tackle Climate Change, Niels Haak, Conservation International.

Carbon Footprint of Coffee and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: 15 October 2020

• Coffee and Climate Change, Dr Vern Long, World Coffee Research (WCR).
• Greenhouse Gas Calculations in Coffee Supply Chains and Climate Friendly Coffee Certification with 4C, Julia Ostrowski, Meo Carbon Solutions.
• Governing Transboundary Climate Risk in the Coffee Sector – Insights from the Brazilian-German Supply-Chain, Adis Dzebo, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

People Matter: How to Address Social Challenges in the Coffee Production? 29 October 2020

• Addressing Food Security in Certified Coffee Supply Chains, Dr Rafaël Schneider, Welthungerhilfe.
• Improving Working and Living Conditions for Coffee Smallholders in Colombia, Myriel Camp, 4C Services GmbH.
• Understanding Child Labor in the Coffee Supply Chain of Smallholder Farmers in Mindanao, Philippines, Maria Concepcion Nobleza, Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

People Matter: How to Address Social Challenges in the Coffee Production? 29 October 2020Sustainability as a Core Requirement for Market Acceptance: 12 November 2020

• How Do Sustainability Claims Influence Consumers Purchasing Decisions? Prof Dr Oliver Kaul, smartcon GmbH.
• Sustainability as the Basis of Long-Term Success, Stefan Dierks, Melitta Group Management GmbH & Co. KG.
• The Role of Certification in Making Coffee Sustainable, Prof Dr Gernot Klepper, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Upcoming Due Diligence Requirements and Their Implications for Coffee Supply Chains: 26 November 2020

• The Europan Coffee Federation’s Sustainability Efforts in the Light of the EU Green Deal and the EU Due Diligence Regulations, Isabelle Lemmens, European Coffee Federation.
• Perspective from a Coffee Roaster, Marcelo Burity, Nestlé.
• Swiss Referendum: Insights into the Responsible Business Initiative, Michael von Luehrte, MVL coffee.
• Certification as a Risk Mitigation Strategy, Norbert Schmitz, 4C Services GmbH.

The revision process of vital 4C System documents, among them the 4C Code of Conduct, was finalized on 1 July 2020. 4C conducted a series of online seminars to explain the main changes of the 4C System. To get familiar with the revised documents, please follow the link.