Better Coffee?

Two of the world's largest coffee trading companies announced in May that they had entered into agreements with Rainforest Alliance to increase production of "sustainable coffee," described as coffee production that meets both environmental and social criteria. The two companies, Neumann and Volcafe, reportedly trade about 25% of the world's coffee. The companies move comes in response to the continuing coffee crisis, which has driven world coffee prices, and quality, down.

The companies say they reached agreement with Rainforest Alliance in order to improve the quality of coffee beans while minimizing environmental damage and improving coffee farmer incomes. While the agreements are very general in terms of any specific commitments or timetables, they represent a potentially very significant advance in efforts to develop a more socially-responsible coffee industry. It is unclear to what degree the agreements might be able to protect core worker rights, however. Past experience demonstrates that it is difficult for groups like Rainforest Alliance, which have traditionally concentrated on environmental issues, to monitor core worker rights issues like the right to organize.

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