Swisscontact is preparing the launch of the Sustainable Coffee Initiative

Switzerland
Sustainable agriculture, Trade
20.09.2023
Swisscontact is one of the driving forces and an active member of the core group that is preparing the launch of the Swiss Sustainable Coffee Initiative (SSCI). The aim of the initiative is to promote social, environmental and economic sustainability in the coffee sector.

The future signatories of the draft declaration of intent include all actors in the coffee value chain who can contribute to this shared responsibility: the Swiss retail trade, importers, traders, roasters, label organisations and civil society actors such as NGOs, foundations, universities, and other research institutions.  

The initiative promotes the joint assumption of responsibility for a key sector of the Swiss economy and, thereby contributes to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Around 70 per cent of the global coffee trade is conducted in Switzerland. For economic reasons, coffee is therefore of great importance for the country.  

In various projects around the world, Swisscontact is committed to making coffee value chains sustainable and fair, and to providing smallholder farmers with a secure income.

Current project examples

2021 - 2024
Honduras
Trade
Inclusive Coffee: Promoting sustainable markets
The project seeks to reduce the existing inequalities in the sustainable coffee value chain in order to create more resilient livelihoods for smallholder sustainable coffee farmers.
2023 - 2026
Honduras
Sustainable agriculture
Empowering coffee producers through training in human rights
Swisscontact joins Nestlé’s initiative “Plan Nescafé” as a technical ally on training and capacity building on human rights, prevention of child labour and women’s economic empowerment in the Honduran coffee sector.
2023 - 2027
Honduras
Sustainable agriculture
“Paraíso Verde“: decarbonising the agricultural and forestry sector in the department of El Paraíso
The project will focus on agricultural and forestry value chains, compatible with the agroecological landscape approach, to reduce vulnerability to climate change, improve social inclusion, reduce deforestation and CO2 emissions, and increase forest restoration with better governance and local appropriation.
2023
Indonesia
Sustainable agriculture
Stronger Coffee Initiative
The aim of the project is to co-create a farmer engagement model for Louis Dreyfus Company’s newly launched Stronger Coffee Initiative that will ultimately increase farmer prosperity. To achieve this goal, the project involves optimized data collection tools, farmer data analysis and conception of coaching and trainings.
2017 - 2024
Colombia
Entrepreneurial ecosystems, Sustainable tourism
Colombia + Competitiva - Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Private Sector
The Programme aims to support Colombia in its systematic efforts to improve the competitiveness of its private sector in the framework of the National System of Competitiveness, Science, Technology and Innovation and its Productive Development Policy.
"Colombia + Competitiva" follows a programmatic and systemic approach with clear ownership of the...

In addition to its commitment to sustainable coffee, Swisscontact was also involved in the creation of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa in 2017. The platform brings together stakeholders from the cocoa and chocolate industry, the public sector, NGOs and research institutes, and works to promote sustainability in the cocoa sector.