FAQ

How are coffee packages disposed of?

Coffee laminate packages containing aluminium are sorted as mixed waste. Plastic laminate packagings are sorted to energy waste. 

How is the Paulig Cupsolo coffee-maker capsule recycled?

The retail packaging of the capsules is recyclable cardboard. Capsules are sorted into mixed waste or energy waste.

What does tracing mean?

Tracing means checking the routes of the raw materials in the procurement chain, from the end product to the ingredient supplier, any intermediate stages and ultimately to the grower’s plantation.

Tracing yields information about both the product’s quality factors and the ethicality of the procurement chain. This affords an opportunity to tackle problems like flavour defects in an ingredient, and it provides information on where in the chain problems have arisen.

What is meant by certified coffee?

Certified coffee has been grown and produced in accordance with the guidelines for the certification. Compliance is monitored by independent exterior parties who carry out annual inspections. 

The best-known certifications in the coffee sector are Fairtrade, UTZ CERTIFIED, Rainforest Alliance and Organic. KRAV is also in use in Sweden. A coffee plantation can have several certifications.

What is the difference between different types of certification?

The common aim of responsibility certifications is to promote social responsibility in the production chain. The various standards differ slightly in their emphases. There are international projects under way aiming to harmonise the criteria of these voluntary standards. See www.isealalliance.org

UTZ CERTIFIED guidelines include economic, social and environmental viewpoints. The programme stresses the development of growers’ skills and improvements for plantations’ profitability.

The Fairtrade standard also figures in all three subdivisions of responsibility. It is aimed primarily at smallholders and it emphasises improving the wellbeing of communities more strongly than the others.

The EU law on organic produce focuses on environmental aspects. The Organic label shows that the product has been prepared in accordance with supervised organic regulations.

The KRAV certification used in Sweden requires a product to have both ethical and organic certification (e.g., Organic + Fairtrade or Organic + UTZ CERTIFIED).

Organic and UTZ CERTIFIED are priced on a market basis. Buyers of UTZ coffees pay the produce a separately agreed bonus for the certification. A guaranteed minimum price is always paid for Fairtrade coffees. Producers are also paid a Fairtrade bonus irrespective of the global market price.

What use is responsibility labelling?

A growing proportion of consumers want to know where and in what conditions the coffee they drink has been produced. This is possible with certified coffee, as the precise monitoring required for certification reveals exactly where the beans are from and how the coffee has been produced.

All certifications involve guidelines for the production of coffee. The instructions cover things like environmental conservation, work safety, the age of the workers, living conditions, pay rates and requirements for workers’ rights. The guidelines for different labelling systems differ somewhat in their emphases.

What responsibility-labelled products does Paulig have in its ranges?

UTZ CERTIFIED labels are found on e.g. Paulig City Coffees, Brazil, Paulig Espresso Originale and Paulig Kenya. Fairtrade and Organic labels are borne by Paulig Mundo, Paulig Mexico and Paulig Colombia as well as the foodservice-oriented Paulig Professional series.

Why are the most popular coffee blends, like Juhla Mokka and Presidentti, not certified?

All Paulig coffees come from sources that have been verified sustainable which means that our coffees are certified sustainable (UTZ, Fairtrade (combined with organic certification)) or sourced through our verified sustainable partnership programmes. Juhla Mokka and Presidentti are heritage-rich products which consumers value for their high quality and excellent flavour. Producing them with certified ingredients would not be possible without altering their quality because there is no sufficient or steady supply of the right kinds of green coffee.  

All Juhla Mokka coffee is verified sustainable. Juhla Mokka is a high-quality blend of coffee sourced through partnership programmes and third-party certified coffee beans. The dark roast variant, Juhla Mokka Tosi Tumma, is UTZ-certified. The product family also includes the organic fair trade coffee Juhla Mokka Reilu Kauppa-Luomu.

Presidentti Coffee is sourced through our partnership programmes. By the end of the year 2019, all partnership programmes (from where we buy coffee) will be verified by a third or independent party. The partnership programmes cover the same dimensions of sustainability as the certificates: environmental, economic and social.

Will Paulig have more certified products in the future?

There are already several certified products in our range, both for retail sales and for cafés and restaurants. All Paulig coffees are sustainably produced, mainly certified or otherwise verified. Our products exclusively consist of certified sustainable coffee (UTZ, Fairtrade (combined with organic certification)) or coffee sourced through our verified sustainable partnership programmes. 

How can it be verified that no child labour is used on plantations supplying green coffee?

Certified coffee plantations have committed themselves to compliance with an ILO agreement prohibiting the employment of child labour. The facilities are inspected annually. Paulig procures other coffee from reliable suppliers who have pledged to uphold Paulig Group Code of Conduct for Suppliers and our purchasing guidelines and to end procurement from plantations where abuses are found. Our buyers visit coffee plantations annually in many countries, but without external audits we cannot entirely exclude employment of minors.Our new Responsible Sourcing process and decision to move to use only certified or verified green coffee will help in this respect. 

How much does Paulig invest in corporate responsibility matters in a year?

Responsibility is part of our normal business. We do not differentiate responsibility investments.

 

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