Predictability is Round the Corner

“New tools and approaches are changing the game from always looking backward through the rear-view mirror to giving everyday tea professionals a new crystal ball that allows us to look around the corner and predict what’s coming,” observes Liam Brody, the new Committee on Sustainability Assessment CEO.

Longtime agriculture sustainability professional Liam Brody is the new chief executive officer of the Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA). Brody succeeds Daniele Giovannucci in the globally focused consortium’s top executive position.

Agile Data Approaches and Innovations in Monitoring (ADAIM) project team, funded by Bill & Melinda Gates and implemented by COSA, in partnership with ICED, and GDI, convenes as it makes progress towards the development and testing of agile monitoring systems – blending technology and rigorous metrics – that make quick, low-cost, evidence-based decisions possible for agriculture development program investments.

Governments of Mexico and Rwanda, partnering with ICO and COSA, are lifting their farming sectors with an innovative approach to costs and efficiencies using science-based directives. By establishing a replicable process for use throughout coffee-growing regions, they will lead the way for many other countries to improve on the most pragmatic aspects and help the industry to systemically address barriers to sustainability.

The coming EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive will require better corporate data on business risks to sustainability.. “nothing short of a revolution,” some are saying. Standardizing how we measure the realities of supply chains to the farm level is sorely needed.

The herd is moving to ESG but results or impacts are emerging as a competitive factor that appeals much more to the smart money. For multinational businesses, ESG are increasingly requirements imposed by insurance or financial markets and regulators. But what about leaders who go beyond to verifiably gauge their sustainability in terms that affect their business? Business and government are desperate for tools to navigate Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous (VUCA) conditions and leaders can turn that into a clear competitive advantage. Not surprisingly, understanding your sustainability risks is critical.

Our understanding of resilience is much less evolved than our understanding of sustainability issues like climate change or deforestation. We need to change that. And we need to change that fast.

In their efforts to develop and commercialize coffee made without actual coffee beans, some scientists and businesses think it will help to solve climate and environmental challenges.

The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) and the British Standards Institution (BSI) are partnering with Westrock Coffee Company on their global supplier assurance framework for responsible sourcing. “Westrock Coffee exemplifies how business, with a strong commitment and the right tools, can be a significant agent of positive change,” says COSA President Daniele Giovannucci.

For market-based sustainability initiatives to be effective and provide lasting results, organizations must ensure their integration into operations and procurement practice. We offer five key elements of a successful sustainable sourcing program that have consistently worked for companies large and small.