BELCO IMPACT SCORE®
A TOOL COMING SOON
A score that measures the sustainability of coffees. This tool serves a dual purpose: to help you incorporate the sustainability criterion into your purchasing decisions; and to help us identify agro-environmental, socio-territorial or economic projects at origin. Discover the methodology used to construct this score, the list of indicators we take into account, and how to showcase it to your customers.
The 3 dimensions of sustainability
To define sustainability in coffee, we have adopted the three-dimensional framework set out in the Brundtland report “Our Common Future”, published in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development. This enabled us to identify the 3 fundamental dimensions from which we analyse, support and promote each coffee and each project.
Discover these 3 dimensions, 8 sub-dimensions and the 24 indicators that we have identified and on which we have based our assessment.
AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL
Impact of cultivation on the ecosystem
- Agroforestry
- Organic certification
- Soil cover
Responsible use of inputs and resources
- Irrigation
- Soil fertility
- Water management
- Treatment of process water
Yield efficiency compared to national average
SOCIO-TERRITORIAL
Management and reuse of products
- Limiting waste
- Local market sales
- Valuing local and traditional know-how
- Innovating in farming practices
- Participating in agricultural knowledge networks
Health and quality of life at work
- Signatory of the ethical sourcing charter
ECONOMIC
Efficiency
- Fair trade certification
- Economic development and profitability of the company
Independence
- The share of coffee in turnover
- Vertical integration in the supply chain
- Customers diversity
Durability
- Forecasting
- Generational transmission
METHODOLOGY
An agricultural assessment concept adapted to coffee production.
Theory
We drew inspiration from the three-dimensional approach to sustainability and the IDEA4 tool to lay the foundations for our sustainability assessment tool. It had to be adapted for the coffee context.
Design
With support from a group of engineering students in international agri-development (ISTOM), we built a tool of 24 indicators to characterise the sustainability of coffee farms. This tool was field tested (Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, El Salvador) and validated by our Impact and Transition experts in agricultural practices.
Field
In each Belco subsidiary, an agronomist has been trained in the tool and is now responsible for collecting and assessing the sustainability level of producers, cooperatives or associations. Meded oversees collection of the Impact Score® in Africa, Monica in South America and Lorena in Central America.
How to Read the Impact Score®? An overall score out of 10.
To help you instantly identify the sustainability level of a coffee.
The scores of the 3 dimensions and their sub-dimensions.
To help you guide your choices towards agro-environmental, socio-territorial or economic sustainability—or all three.
The scores of the 24 indicators.
100% transparency—discover the score for each of the 24 indicators and their weighting in the full report.
WHAT THE IMPACT SCORE® CHANGES FOR YOU
Choose your coffees based on their sustainability
This tool allows you to include sustainability in your purchasing criteria, alongside origin, terroir, SCA score, volume or price. What if the Impact Score® became a decisive factor in your coffee selection?
Identify coffees and projects to support
Thanks to the full report, you can transparently access all the indicators. This allows you to identify areas for improvement for producers: improved drying practices, water management, infrastructure... The tool highlights the real needs at origin.
Showcase your purchases to your clients
With a common language and clear criteria, you have a solid basis to communicate your choices and promote your coffee purchases through the lens of sustainability.