Independent External Monitoring of Nespresso’s Coffee Supply Chain in Brazil, 2022
The Nespresso Sustainable Quality™ AAA Program is a tailor-made approach to sourcing high-quality sustainable coffee co-created with the Rainforest Alliance in 2003 and re-endorsed by them in 2024. It is composed of three pillars: quality, socio-environmental and productivity, that embrace the Nespresso AAA Program’s strategic drivers; quality, regenerative and inclusive. The Nespresso AAA Program offers technical assistance through dedicated agronomists to farmers, pays a price premium, and invests in special projects.
The Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program provides a framework to support farmers and reward them for their efforts in sustainable quality and implementing regenerative agriculture practices. It allows Nespresso to develop lasting relationships with farming communities and work together to develop innovative solutions that help make them stronger and more resilient. The sustainability component of the NespressoAAA Program includes both environmental and social standards. It is rooted in internationally recognised standards from the ISEAL Alliance, which also comply with the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) standards.
At the core of the program is the Nespresso AAA Shared Commitment, which outlines the partnership and governance framework between Nespresso and its AAA Implementation Partners (green coffee suppliers). This commitment sets the expectations for transparency and collaboration, ensuring that both Nespresso and its Implementation Partners work together effectively to execute the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program.
An important enabler of the program is the AAA fieldstaff in the regions, consisting of agronomists, social workers, cluster administrators and technicians, who have a significant role in facilitating social change in the communities by maintaining a close connection with the farmers. The field team receives comprehensive training co-designed with Terres des Hommes and FLA covering various critical areas, including child rights, discrimination, forced labor, gender-based violence, harassment and abuse, and grievance mechanisms. Additionally, the training includes essential topics such as freedom of association; health and safety; and employment relationships, including hiring and contracting practices, compensation, and hours of work. Through this extensive training, the AAA field team enhances their understanding of their responsibilities and can effectively mitigate and address risks or issues that may arise within the farming communities they support.
Nespresso applies four lines of defence to address human rights risks within the Nespresso AAA Program. Key layers include internal controls through the Nespresso Tool for the Assessment of Sustainable Quality (TASQ), the assessment of suppliers’ capacity for human rights due diligence, external controls such as certification audits and monitoring, and lastly monitoring and evaluation assessments by conducted by third parties. TASQ provides a structured methodology for evaluating and enhancing the sustainability practices of the coffee farmers and enables the AAA field team to assess various dimensions of sustainable quality, including environmental impact, social equity, and quality. The 8 precondition criteria in the Nespresso AAA Program are mandatory and need to be complied with from the beginning, and they include topics such as child labor, gender-based violence (GBV), forced labor, harassment and abuse.
While many challenges within the coffee sector are sectoral or country-specific issues that extend beyond Nespresso’s direct influence, Nespresso remains committed to addressing these complexities through its initiatives. This report outlines the specific actions Nespresso is taking in response to the findings from FLA’s assessment, demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement and a proactive approach to fostering positive change in communities.