Douwe Egberts are proud to announce their continued commitment to achieving 100% sustainability for all their coffee products by increasing purchases of sustainable green coffee beans by +30% to 26,500 tonnes in 2009.
From the start, Douwe Egberts has partnered with UTZ CERTIFIED because of its shared commitment to making the mainstream coffee market more sustainable. UTZ certifies coffee farmers based on the three areas of sustainability; economic, social responsibility and protecting the environment. The result is a more professional way of producing coffee and improved living conditions for farmers and their families.
Paul Freeman, Marketing Manager, Sara Lee Coffee & Tea OOH, UK comments: "I am proud that our company has been a frontrunner in making the mainstream coffee sector more sustainable and we have been able to increase our sustainable coffee volumes significantly year after year, for five years in a row"
"Through our partnership with Utz Certified, we can provide clear and auditable evidence of the positive impact our purchases of sustainable coffee has had on coffee farming communities. With sustainability continuing to be high on the agenda for most companies, it is increasingly important to show the proof points of this commitment, rather than just a badge. With complete transparency throughout the coffee supply chain, our customers and consumers can trace their coffee to its origins and see the positive impact their choice of coffee has made."
For further information on UTZ CERTIFIED and the positive effect it has had on coffee farming communities, please visit www.utzcertified.org
About UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside
UTZ CERTIFIED Good Inside is dedicated to creating an open and transparent marketplace for agricultural products. Founded in 2002, UTZ has been an innovative pioneer in the field of certification and traceability of coffee supply chains. Based on this success, UTZ is developing sustainability models for other sectors, primarily cocoa, tea and palm oil, amongst others. UTZ CERTIFIED's vision is to achieve sustainable agricultural supply chains where it facilitates professional farm management and profitability, where industry takes responsibility by demanding and rewarding sustainably grown products, and where consumers buy products that meet their standard for social and environmental responsibility.
UTZ CERTIFIED is a global non-governmental organisation, which guarantees that the coffee produced was made with respect of the living conditions of coffee farmers and the natural environment in that area.
In addition to the partnership with UTZ CERTIFIED and its involvement with the 4C initicative, Douwe Egberts continues to invest in its DE Foundation, working with Solidaridad and other partners to improve living conditions of, in particular, small coffee farmers in the main countries of origin.
For further information or imagery, please contact Jenna Orme / Adam Craig
Storm Communication on 020 7240 2444, or email
jorme@stormcom.co.uk / adam@stormcom.co.uk