May 2012 C&CI • Climate Change • 31
PCR for green coffee is first step towards GHG reduction
organisation, its aim is to facilitate sharing, at a pre-competitive level, of knowledge and ini- tiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the various stakeholders in the food chain. Today, the SAI Platform has more than 30 members, which actively share the same view on sustainable agriculture seen as a "productive, competitive and effi- cient way to produce agricultural products, while at the same time protecting and improv- ing the natural environment and social/eco- nomic conditions of local communities." The SAI Platform’s Coffee Working Group
T
(which includes Sara Lee, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Tchibo, and Illy) has identified the consistent measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from green coffee production as an important step towards enhancing the sustainability of the industry. Supporting the SAI Platform, IDH is providing funding which is matching contributions from the private sector over the 18 month duration of the project.
Farm level production
As Brian Lindsay, the Project Manager for the SAI Platform explained, the scope of the proj- ect is to develop a PCR for green coffee (addressing farm level production, and stop- ping – for the time being – at the farm gate). The driver for this approach is to better
understand the emissions from coffee grow- ing and enable managers to target actions to reduce emissions from ‘hot spots’ in a quan- tifiable manner. The project also aims to develop a consistent method of measuring greenhouse gases, so that everyone evaluat- ing their impact and designing reduction strategies communicates with the same lan- guage and agreed metrics. The group says it is approaching the proj-
ect in an open and transparent manner with the ultimate aim of developing a valuable resource for the coffee sector. Interested par- ties from the coffee sector, including farmer organisations and NGOs have been invited to take part. "To be successful, the project requires
he Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform was created in 2002 by Nestlé, Unilever and Danone. A non-profit
In March 2012, the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform and IDH, the Dutch sustainable trade network,
launched an 18 month programme to develop a ‘Product Category Rule (PCR)’ for green coffee
SAI Platform and IDH want to
develop a reliable way to assess greenhouse gas emissions
associated with producing coffee
engagement from coffee organisations with a genuine interest in sustainability," Mr Lindsay told C&CI. "If you are a coffee com- pany and would like to become more closely involved, you can get a seat on the Steering Committee against payment of €5,000.00 as well as participation in each of the commit- tee meetings, so as to ensure that robust strategic decisions are made and imple- mented. If you represent the coffee farming community, we would be delighted to have your involvement, which would also entitle you to one seat on the Steering Committee, without a fee." Participants are also being sought for the
Technical Working Group, for which experi- ence in this field is required, as is the provi- sion of resources towards the development of the PCR. "There will also be a Communications Group," Mr Lindsay explained, noting that this is suitable for organisations that would like to be involved in the initiative but cannot take part in the above- mentioned groups. Members of the Communications Group will receive e-mail updates as well as send comments on pro- posals along the development timeline. Mr Lindsay told C&CI that prior to the proj-
ect getting underway, SAI Platform had com- missioned CE Delft to undertake a study to lay the groundwork for the initiative. It had also collaborated with the GIZ in Germany and engaged with other interested groups.
What is a PCR?
Product category rules or PCRs provide rules, requirements and guidelines for the collection of data that is used to assess the impact on climate of an activity or product. As such, they are a vital part of the process of environmental and climate declarations. A product category is a group of products that
fulfil equivalent functions. PCRs for products can be used as the basis of standards, such as ISO standards or could be incorporated into certifica- tion schemes such as those used by Rainforest Alliance and other members of ISEAL.
"We contracted the consultancy to investi-
gate project opportunities, timescales and associated budgets," he explained. "The CE Delft Report is the basis of the programme." The programme will be conducted in three
phases over 18 months: Phase One includes registration, formation and communication; Phase 2, will see a process of development and consultation, and wider engagement; with Phase 3 consisting of publishing and the production of case studies. Mr Lindsay said a number of pilot projects
could also be conducted at the end of the ini- tiative. "Ultimately, what we are looking to achieve is a consistent approach that every- one can use, where everyone speaks the same language." C&CI
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52