Report “Certified coffee, rightless workers”, December 2016

About one-third of all coffee consumed in the world is planted in Brazil…The European Union, the United States and Japan are the main destinations of Brazilian foreign coffee sales...Brazil is also an important production hub for certified coffee...In this investigation, Repórter Brasil contributes to that debate by presenting three concrete examples of certified farms with labor rights violations...Repórter Brasil went to talk to the companies and certification systems, and this report shows the reactions of each of them to the problems we presented. In addition to shortcom- ings in monitoring the properties, some gaps in transparency emerged – not only related to audit results, but also in publicizing the list of certified producers...[I]t was also clear that uncertified farms may be making improper use of best practice seals to market their production –...found in Fairtrade International’s business chain...Reco[m]mendations...[W]hen Repórter Brasil exposes labor problems in farms linked to voluntary sustainability veri cation programs, it does not intend to downplay the work carried out by NGOs, certi ers, governments and companies that use those tools to foster a socially fair coffee market...[S]everal studies and statements from stakeholders point out the positive impact of such programs on daily reality at coffee farms...Tighter criteria, better monitor- ing practices and more transparency can help the reality in rural areas to come closer and closer to the stan- dards and principles adopted by certi- cations systems and ethical sourcing programs...Standards...Stricter rules for informality...requiring that mandatory benefits be paid...Monitoring...Active search for information beyond audits...Transparency...

[It refers to Café do Cedro, Certifica Minas, Ecom Trading, Eisa – Empresa Interagrícola, Fal Coffee, Mariana de Carvalho Junqueira, Nestlé, Starbucks and UTZ]