4C Services

4C stands for “Common Code for the Coffee Community” and is a global leading certification for the sustainable cultivation and processing of green coffee beans. It aims to strengthen the production of environmentally friendly, socially fair and economically viable coffee worldwide. Independent third-party audits ensure compliance with strict sustainability criteria which are set out in the 4C Code of Conduct developed in a comprehensive and multi-stakeholder process. 4C covers over 10% of the global coffee area. The 4C certified coffee stems from 20 countries and is produced by more than 300,000 farmers, the majority of them – smallholders. The 4C standard ensures that coffee cultivation is not contributing to the cutting of primary forests or reduction of biodiversity, that good agricultural practices and the protection of soil, water and air are applied, that human, labor and land rights are respected and that farmers are sufficiently trained to increase productivity and profitability. Risk assessments are conducted with the help of remote sensing technologies, while additional digital tools and applications contribute to increased efficiency of the certification process and traceability within the supply chain. Based on its long-time expertise, 4C offers solutions for smallholders and implements sustainability projects to address particular issues and enhance livelihoods, among others improvement of smallholder working and living conditions, calculation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as empowerment of female coffee growers. As a credible and robust system, 4C represents a toolbox to access and address risks in green coffee supply chains, establishing proper due diligence through all the steps.