The Global Coffee Platform (GCP) reported that 69.3% of green coffee purchased by 14 major roasters and retailers met recognized sustainability standards in 2025, a sharp drop from the record 75.36% achieved in 2024. This marks the first decline in the overall share of sustainable purchases after several years of consistent gains, despite an increase in participating companies. GCP attributed the drop largely to a shift in sourcing practices by one major company, specifically JDE Peet’s, which saw its compliant volume fall from 72.94% to 47.04%. The organization noted that year-to-year comparisons are complicated by changes in participating firms and eligible programs, but the downward trend is clear.
Verification Volumes Fall Sharply
Volumes purchased through "2nd Party Assurance Systems" decreased by 26% in 2025, while third-party certification schemes like Fairtrade held relatively steady. Total reported coffee purchases declined less than 1% to approximately 2.29 million metric tons, yet the amount meeting GCP-recognized standards fell 8.9% to 1.58 million metric tons. Three new companies joined the initiative in 2025, bringing participation to 14 buyers, and the number of eligible sustainability programs increased from 26 to 30. Despite this broader participation, geographic diversity narrowed as sustainable coffee came from only 30 producing origins, down from 34 in 2024. Brazil and Vietnam accounted for roughly 61% of the reported sustainable volume, indicating a concentration risk that undermines claims of widespread industry progress.
JDE Peet’s explained that it evolved its approach toward a human rights and environmental due diligence model, reporting that 88.8% of its 2025 coffee was responsibly sourced under that separate framework. However, this methodological shift complicates direct comparisons with previous years and obscures whether actual outcomes for farmers have improved or deteriorated. GCP Executive Director Annette Pensel stated that purchase volumes alone cannot show if sustainability efforts are strengthening supply chain resilience or supporting regenerative production. The findings arrive as poverty remains widespread among coffee farmers, with the 2026 Coffee Barometer showing that average farming households in eight of the ten largest producing countries fall short of living-income benchmarks.
Procurement Principles Face Scrutiny
GCP joined IDH and Solidaridad in March to publish shared procurement principles developed with 14 major traders, emphasizing longer-term relationships and consideration of production costs. This effort expanded in September through a collaboration with German development agency GIZ to create specific guidance. Yet the data suggests these commitments have not yet translated into measurable improvements in sustainable purchasing volumes across the sector. The gap between corporate reporting and on-farm economic reality persists, leaving many producers without adequate financial security despite two decades of industry initiatives.
