Quality coffee bean certification organization 4C Association Coffee Certification

4C certification is a widely accepted management rule in the world, which involves the sustainable development of coffee cultivation, production, processing and other aspects of the supply chain, including social, environmental and economic principles. Coffee practitioners are required to protect biodiversity, protect all kinds of national endangered animals and plants, correctly use and handle pesticides and other chemicals, protect the natural environment and human health, pay attention to soil protection, water resources protection, safe treatment of wastewater and garbage, and give priority to the use of renewable energy.

It is understood that 4C Association is a global organization of stakeholders in the coffee industry chain, whose purpose is to improve the income and living conditions of producers by reducing costs, improving quality, providing market conditions and ensuring environmental sustainability.

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Mo Lizhen (1966~) female, undergraduate, Bachelor of Agronomy, has been engaged in scientific research, production technology, training and cup products of Arabica coffee in Pu 'er City since 1988. She has published many papers in Tropical Crops Research, Yunnan Thermal Cropping Technology and Tropical Agricultural Science, and published the monograph Illustration of High-yield and High-quality Cultivation Technology of Arabica Coffee.

4C coffee certification is a development trend, 4C certification is currently widely accepted in the world, involving coffee cultivation, production, processing and other aspects of the supply chain sustainable development management rules. This article is a translation of the FAQ for 4C coffee certification provided by 4C website for reference only. If there is any confusion, please refer to the original 4C website.

I. Brief answers to 4C organizations

1. What is the 4C Association?

4C Association is a legal, non-profit, global (United Nations) coffee industry organization registered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its full name is Common Code for the Coffee Community, which translates into "Management Rules for the Coffee Community" in Chinese, abbreviated as 4C or 4C Association.

Members of the 4C Association include coffee farmers (large and small), traders (importers and exporters), practitioners (coffee roasters and retailers) and civil society (NGOs, standard-setting schemes and trade unions); individuals, donors and other institutions may also join as associate members.

The 4C Association is a multi-stakeholder organization, a global social effort that brings together coffee workers to improve their economic, social and environmental conditions, with the ultimate goal of mainstreaming sustainability and enabling as many farmers as possible to adopt sustainable production practices.

2. Why the 4C Association?

The coffee crisis of 2001 - 2002 led to a long period of very low coffee prices, threatening the sustainability of the coffee industry and creating major difficulties for the development of coffee growing areas. Growers, traders and representatives of industry and civil society are therefore aware of the need to work together to address the sustainability issues affecting the coffee sector. In 2003, a coffee community management project was launched by various stakeholder groups, the "4C" Association, with the slogan "Together for a Better Coffee World." Over the past decade, the 4Cs have continued to serve as a pre-competitive platform for stakeholder groups to work together to address issues affecting sustainable development.

3. What is a 4C unit?

A 4C unit is a production group that produces 4C standard coffee for a long time. 4C units are flexible. A 4C unit can be a small farmer registered together, such as a cooperative or farmers association, a purchasing station, a factory, a local merchant, an export organization, or a coffee roaster producing in a country.

There are three prerequisites for establishing a 4C unit: membership in the 4C Association or membership in an existing 4C; ability to provide at least one container of commercial green coffee beans (20 tons); and ability to comply with the 4C Code of Conduct. If you are a producer of commercial green coffee beans with a yield of more than 20 tons, you can register yourself as a 4C unit. If your output is insufficient, you can join an established 4C unit or establish a new 4C unit with another small-scale farmer; another situation is for the exporting country to establish a 4C unit with a supplier.

In a 4C unit, anyone who comes into direct contact with coffee is called a business partner. A person or company providing services related to coffee production and direct contact with fresh fruit or commercial green coffee beans, such as growers and pesticide spraying companies, is also considered a business partner.

What are the 10 wrong practices of coffee growers?

10 Mistakes Coffee Growers Make:

(1)Extreme use of child labour;

(2)Imprisonment and forced labour;

(3)Trafficking in persons;

(4)(b) Prohibiting members from becoming members or representatives of trade unions;

(5)Forced dismissal of employees without reasonable compensation;

(6)(b) Failure to provide suitable accommodation for workers;

(7)Drinking water cannot be provided to all employees;

(8)Deforestation of virgin forests or destruction of other natural resources;

(9)Use of prohibited pesticides;

(10)Unfair transactions in business relations contrary to international law, domestic law and customary practices.

What criteria must farmers meet to comply with the 4C regulation? What criteria must coffee growers meet to comply with the 4 C regulation?

First, coffee growers must eliminate 10 wrong practices; growers are asked to measure their performance and progress with 28 principles.

The association has set up an easy-to-understand red, yellow and green rating system. Red means "stop," yellow means "to be improved," and green means "the highest level of sustainability has been achieved."

The system can easily identify if the coffee grower is on track. It also identifies areas of work and concern that need to be done to guide them towards sustainable development.

Independent third-party validation confirms that growers '4C units score yellow on average (meaning there can be some red indicators), and all operations are expected to progress to green over time. Red indicators are more likely than green indicators to be unable to become 4C units.

Where does the 4C Association operate?

Under Swiss law, 4C is registered as an independent membership organization with its headquarters in Bonn, Germany. To date, 4C has established four regional offices (Africa, Brazil, Central and Latin America, Viet Nam).

7.4 How does the association fund its activities?

The total volume of commodities traded (produced, traded or roasted) and the status of each member State in the coffee supply chain determine the membership fees paid: farmers pay less and roasters pay more. Non-governmental organizations, other members and associate members also pay 4C contributions.

Contributions received by 4C include the Department for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), FICA International Cooperation Agency and Oxfam NOVIB(Netherlands).

What is 4C coffee?

4C Standard Coffee refers to coffee sourced from certified 4C units and traded along with 4C Coffee Chain Association members. Members of the 4C Association are part of the 4C system, which maintains the identity of the 4C standard along the supply chain and requires traceability of coffee. There are independent inspectors to check the sustainability criteria of 4C units. 4C trade and industry members are committed to buying an increasing amount of 4C coffee.

9. Does the 4C Association offer minimum/fixed prices to growers?

The operation of the 4C system is a regular supply and demand mechanism of the market. No fixed premium or coffee validation 4C units are offered for a fixed price. However, 4C coffee is not just "random coffee"; it has a derivative added value, the fact that basic sustainability criteria are applied to production, processing and trading. Buyers recognize the added value of this and suppliers have a better platform to negotiate the price of 4C standard coffee. In addition, the 4C Society's sustainability approach helps growers make better use of farming, processing and management practices to increase yields, improve quality and reduce costs, helping growers earn higher incomes.

Is there a label on the coffee package?

No, the 4C Association does not use product labels because the 4C coffee chain is "certified." 4C as a basic standard its main concept is the process of improvement. This is why the 4Cs employ an independent third-party validation process to ensure that improvements made by their members to both implementation and mechanism measures are consistent with and meet basic levels of sustainability.

II. Brief answer to 4C verification link

1. How do you know if any of the actions of growers and others in the supply chain comply with the 4C Code of Conduct?

The 4C validation process begins with a self-assessed 4C unit, corresponding to an organizational chart of all business partners and units, which is the basis for field verification.

After validation by a third party, these documents will be submitted to the 4C Secretariat for verification of the 4C unit and validation of its self-assessment.

Interviews and other evidence were collected by examining documents and procedures and randomly sampling 50% of the square roots of all individual farmers and other partners involved in the business.

Validation systems can help 4Cs and partners identify areas for improvement. If the verification is positive, the 4C unit receives a license to sell 4C standard coffee.

2. Do I need to self-assess before validation?

Before applying for a 4C validation number, the 4C unit must conduct a self-assessment and ensure that all business partners have eliminated 10 wrong practices and achieved the 4C rule's minimum average yellow performance assessment.

The 4C Association provides tools to implement the 4C unit mission: a business partner map: listing all business partners with their respective production data and evaluation results, the 4C code of conduct for each group of data to achieve sustainability; a self-assessment: based on the performance evaluation of the 4C unit's business partners, the entire 4C group will assess the overall level; and an organizational chart: a structure chart of the 4C unit is required to explain how it works.

After filling in the correct format, the 4C unit proves that the organization has conducted on-site verification. Through self-assessment, the 4C unit has ruled out 10 unacceptable behaviors and reached the average level of yellow.

3. Who does the verification?

4C verification is performed by a professional, independent third-party company. These third party companies are ISO /Guide 65 or equivalent accredited. In addition, certification bodies must have certain qualifications and standards. Verification must be: first, audit experience in inspection/system; second, background and experience in coffee industry; third, successful participation in 4C validation training; fourth, list of full-time 4C inspectors.

4. What should I do if I find a red practice in the 4C verification?

4C units have continuous improvement problems, after entry level, they all eliminate 10 wrong practices, 4C units only need to achieve an average yellow performance evaluation to obtain a 4C license.

4C units will not be able to sell 4C coffee if red practices exceed green practices; if green practices exceed red practices, 4C units will receive a 4C license and be able to sell 4C standard coffee.

5. What is the cost of 4C validation?

The price of validation 4C units is not fixed, as these costs depend on different factors such as the number of days required for validation, travel costs, accommodation, per diem, travel time, etc. According to the experience of the 4C Association, the average cost of external validation (audit) is approximately EUR 2,800, which varies mainly depending on the geographical location of the 4C unit and the number of its business partners and business partners.

6. How many years does verification take?

After approval by an independent third party, a 4C license is valid for three years. After 3 years re-certification issued. 4C units must conduct annual self-evaluations and send their results to the 4C Secretariat. If their range is expanded, 4C units can be visited annually. In addition, 4C inspectors can conduct surprise random verification visits in different areas to ensure the credibility of the entire system.

7. 4C's verifier announces verification time in advance?

4C units and verifiers agree to 4C verification time, common practice is in the verification/certification audit, they will visit growers and business partners in advance, verification is not published list.

III. Brief answer to check and balance links

1. How participatory is the 4C Association in its decision-making process?

The 4C Association is a multi-stakeholder, participatory decision-making body. Members have the same rights in the decision-making process. 4C The statutes of associations and respective laws treat members equally.

Membership is a core element of the 4C Association's organs, governing boards, executive committees, mediation committees and technical committees. The members meet every three years at an assembly to decide fundamental issues and elect the Council. The Council meets at least once a year to decide on strategic issues, priority activities and budgets. The Council also elected an Executive Committee, a Technical Committee and a Mediation Committee for a period of three years. The Executive Committee meets monthly to decide on political and important operational issues of the 4C Secretariat.

2. Can the unequal relationship between powerful multinational corporations and growers be resolved?

Yes, the structure of the council favours coffee farmers. The General Assembly of the United Nations is an association of the highest decision-making bodies and meets every three years. There are seven seats for growers and five seats for trade/industry and civil society.

3. How do I get a roaster to provide proof of purchase for 4C coffee?

A copy of the Roasting License Number or 4C unit license, shipping document or contract that allows roasters to prove they have purchased 4C standard coffee. 4C Aggregate data made available by the Secretariat to its members and the public, with procurement volumes kept confidential.

IV. Brief answers to standardization links

1. Are there criteria that duplicate the burden on growers?

Yes. Different standards can expose coffee growers to multiple scrutiny. These multiple audits or verifications mean additional costs and effort for growers.

In order to reduce the burden and maximize the benefits for coffee growers, in 2008, the 4C Association teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance as a benchmark, using ISEAL and IMO as testing standards. The goals of the 4C Association are the same as those of other institutions or standards.

Rainforest Alliance logo:

2. What is the standard work flow of the 4C Association and the Rainforest Alliance?

Since the 4C code of conduct is a basic standard, it is non-reciprocal with the Rainforest Alliance's Agricultural Sustainable Development Network (SAN) standard. This means that holders of Rainforest Alliance certificates can apply for 4C licenses without additional fees or verification procedures, while 4C license holders need to join SAN to obtain Rainforest Alliance certification standards.

3. How can standard tests benefit coffee growers?

Standard testing means that members with both Rainforest Alliance certification and 4C license have full access to 4C standard coffee in this emerging market. The total output of the manufacturer is not sold through a specific scheme, which can provide better marketing opportunities. Standard testing and other standards help reduce verification costs and efforts. Therefore, the benchmark is a milestone, and its path is to make the industry sustainable and significantly improve the livelihoods of growers.

5. A brief answer to the trading link of 4C standard coffee

1. Who can trade 4C standard coffee?

Only members of the 4C Association can trade 4C standard coffee. All participants in the 4C standard coffee in the supply chain are members of the 4C Association.

The first person to sell 4C standard coffee in the coffee supply chain is the 4C unit management entity. The management entity is responsible for implementing the behavior of 4C rules, the internal control system and the traceability of transactions.

The individual grower is registered as the 4C unit of the business partner, while the managing entity is the license holder. Individual business partners do not have a license to sell 4c standard coffee to 4C units of any other non-managed entity.

The entity 4C supply chain under the rules is eligible to participate in coffee transactions: first, groups / institutions of producers and more than a whole box of commercial coffee producers; second, post-harvest processing facilities; third, intermediate buyers, including traders, exporters, importers and processors; fourth, the final buyers include roasting, soluble manufacturers, own-brand enterprises and retail enterprises with their own brands and chain coffee bars. Fifth, coffee agents and brokers.

When 4C standard coffee is sold to non-4C members at any time, it will lose its status as 4C standard coffee. Therefore, if the final buyer requests to use 4C standard coffee, all members must be members of the 4C association in their respective supply chain and have a certificate of membership.

two。 What is a 4C license?

After successful verification, the 4C unit can obtain the 4C license. It acknowledged that a 4C unit had made efforts to achieve the 4C code of conduct and confirmed that the minimum "average yellow performance assessment confirmed the 4C check" had been achieved.

4C units using this license can sell coffee, and their listed business partners are members of other 4C coffee supply chains in the 4C standard.

Rainforest Alliance certified 4C members can apply for a 4C license without verification.

3. What is the difference between a 4C membership certificate and a 4C license?

The 4C membership certificate certifies that any supply chain member and any other member, such as civil society, associates and other chain members, who are not directly involved in the production, trading and purchase of coffee.

However, the 4C license is only issued to 4C units that have passed the verification, and 4C units will always belong to 4C members. 4C membership certificate is not the same as 4C license.

The membership certificate is issued to all the members of the 4C association, and the 4C license is the license issued to the 4C unit after successful verification.

4. What is the traceability of the traded 4C standard coffee?

Every member of the 4C supply chain, from the 4C unit to the final buyer, needs the 4C standard coffee traded along the 4C unit of the supply chain through the license number. These are related documents including transport documents such as license number or bill of lading and copies of the contract. The license ensures traceability to the 4C unit level.

Buyers should require their supplier to provide a copy of the 4C license to ensure a valid and corresponding 4C bit.

Except for the traceability requirements of the 4C code of conduct (economic aspects, principle 6), the 4C system does not need to exceed the 4C standard.

4C unit → trade → baking or processing → retailer

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5. Can a 4C unit of coffee be sold as 4C standard coffee?

A valid 4C license can sell 4C standard coffee from units where the grower is registered as a business partner. This also applies to the 4C license obtained under the Rainforest Alliance certified planting or producer team and Rainforest Alliance benchmark scheme.

As long as a 4C unit has a valid license to sell 4C standard coffee, it can also sell carry-over inventory from growers registered as business partners. In other words: the 4C unit can only sell 4C standard coffee in carryover stock, if it has a traceability system in place to ensure that the coffee is only from a registered business partner.

Please remember: 4C verification involves the production and processing practices of 4C standard coffee. It doesn't involve coffee books.

The volume of the body or produced.

Selling coffee from non-4C farmers, that is, not listed as business partner 4c standard coffee is a wrong practice and an unethical transaction, and the license will be suspended if the inspection is determined to be so.

6. 4C units can be sold to UTZ or Rainforest Alliance certified 4C qualified coffee, or vice versa?

No, because not all RA certified coffee is automatically compatible with 4C standard coffee, on the contrary, 4C standard coffee is not automatically compatible with other certified coffee. In short: coffee can only correspond to certificates sold to their respective certification licenses or verification schemes. Buyers should pay special attention to this to maintain the integrity and credibility of the supply chain.

7. Can non-4C members trade 4C standard coffee for any member of the supply chain?

no way. Unit 4C requires any other participant in the supply chain, such as exporter, trader or final buyer, to have a valid membership card when signing the shipping / delivery date contract. It is true that 4C standard coffee can be bought to non-members, but in this case the status of 4C standard coffee will be lost.

8. How to ensure that the coffee purchased by the buyer is really 4C standard coffee?

The valid shipping / delivery date of the license should be verified when coffee is received, which can be easily proved by a copy of the license provided by the supplier.

When purchasing coffee from third parties (retailers and roasters) instead of purchasing coffee directly from 4C units, for security reasons, you can request a copy of the supplier's membership certificate (the 4C standard requires that all intermediaries in the coffee supply chain must be members of the 4C association).

9. Why is it necessary to confirm the license number?

Transactions with license numbers or copies of licenses are essential because business reports require 4C members to comply with traceability.

The final buyers, such as instant coffee roasters, manufacturers and retailers, are required to submit annual 4C standard coffee acquisition production reports at the end of each year. Because its quantity must be published corresponding to the license number, a sound internal tracking system should be in place to record all purchases of 4C standard coffee with the license number of the year. Remember: members' license numbers are not duplicated. You can keep all the 4C standard coffee files you receive. Please make sure that your supplier's license number or copy of the license corresponds to each batch of 4C standard coffee delivered.

10. Can a 4C unit sell more 4C standard coffee than the registered output?

Business reporting is a key commitment of 4C members. Each October, 4C units and final buyers receive production reports for 4C standard coffee / coffee year (October-September). The intermediary does not need to fill in the business report. Each coffee year 4C units and final buyers always have to prepare business reports, need to register each batch of 4C standard coffee, and the last buyer needs to track their 4C standard coffee.

E-commerce reports can be reported through 4C online platform. To access the 4C online platform, you need a login password provided by the Secretariat provided by 4C. Please make sure that your login data and all recorded business reports of shipping / receiving 4C standard coffee (for details of the 4C business report, please refer to the business reporting procedure documentation).

The production potential of a 4C unit is based on on-site audit by independent inspectors, while the actual production of 4C units can be lower or higher than the audited production potential. In addition, if it comes from a partner in the listed business, 4C units can sell carry-over inventory from last year's 4C standard coffee index and meet specific traceability requirements.

In practice, when 4C units sell more 4C standard coffee than the registered output, the 4C Secretariat will cross-check.