Australian green coffee trader FTA Coffee has become the first Australian importer to offer green coffee that is 100% certified through the government-backed Climate Active certification program.
As with most carbon-emissions-related certification schemes, the Climate Active certification process requires regular calculations of greenhouse gas emissions in supply chains, documented steps to reduce emissions, and the purchase of carbon offsets designed to approximate net zero in carbon emissions.
Unlike many third-party carbon emissions certification schemes, the Climate Active initiative is supported by Australia’s federal government, which along with private-sector participants provides marketing support to promote certified companies and products.
The Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard, formerly known as the National Carbon Offset Standard, has been active since 2010.
For its part, Altona, Victoria-based FTA Coffee says it has committed to exclusively offering Climate Active-certified coffees.
“We started the process of working towards Carbon Neutrality in 2020, commencing with calculating the greenhouse gas emissions generated by all our activities and those of our suppliers such as the growing, processing, shipping, storage, and delivery of coffee from producer partners,” FTA Coffee General Manager David McKennariey said in an announcement shared with DCN. “Simultaneously, we worked towards reducing emissions as much as possible by investing in new technology and changing the way we operate. All remaining emissions were then offset by purchasing carbon credits.”
According to Australian government’s Climate Smart online portal, the company’s offset contributions are going to a fire abatement project in Northern Territory, Australia, a forestry project in NSW, a renewable electricity project in Indonesia, cookstove projects in Africa and Central America, a forestry project in Peru and a wind farm project in India.
FTA Coffee is part of the HSK Ward Group, which comprises B2B and B2C holdings in the commodities and packaged food categories. FTA’s Climate Active-certified green coffees are currently available to buyers in Australia and New Zealand.
Does your coffee business have news to share? Let DCN’s editors know here.
Comment