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Coffee-makers' huge profits leave a bitter taste -...Aid and fair trade organisations accuse the world's major coffee roasters of making huge profits out of impoverished growers in developing countries, whose returns are a fraction of retail prices. They say the price paid for green coffee is so low that desperate families cannot support themselves...Oxfam advocacy co-ordinator Jeff Atkinson said the world's major coffee makers - Kraft (Maxwell House, Jacobs), Procter and Gamble (Folgers), Sara Lee (Moccona) and, to a lesser extent, Nestle (Nescafe) - had done little to improve the growers' lot. (Stathi Paxinos, The Age [Australia], 28 Apr. 2003)

The Answer to the Coffee Crisis? Farmers Want Fair Price, Kraft Says Increase Demand - Calls for fair prices and Fair Trade Certified coffee by social investors, coffee farmers, and Oxfam go unheeded by Kraft. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 25 Apr. 2003)

Oxfam: Kraft Foods Refutes Accountability and Shows Lack of Leadership in Addressing Global Coffee Crisis Affecting 25 Million Coffee Farmers (Oxfam America, 22 Apr. 2003)

ETHIOPIA: Coffee drinkers urged to support growers - Two British Members of Parliament (MP) on Thursday urged coffee drinkers to use consumer power to get impoverished coffee growers a better deal. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 4 Apr. 2003)

Standards & guidelines:

Ethical Trading Initiative

Websites:

Coffee (Co-op America's Sweatshops.org)

Coffee [Fair Trade Coffee] (TransFair USA)

Coffee Campaign (Oxfam America)

Coffee Worker Campaigns (US/LEAP - U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project)

Fair Trade Coffee Campaign (Global Exchange)

Other materials:

2003:

Coffee-makers' huge profits leave a bitter taste -...Aid and fair trade organisations accuse the world's major coffee roasters of making huge profits out of impoverished growers in developing countries, whose returns are a fraction of retail prices. They say the price paid for green coffee is so low that desperate families cannot support themselves...Oxfam advocacy co-ordinator Jeff Atkinson said the world's major coffee makers - Kraft (Maxwell House, Jacobs), Procter and Gamble (Folgers), Sara Lee (Moccona) and, to a lesser extent, Nestle (Nescafe) - had done little to improve the growers' lot. (Stathi Paxinos, The Age [Australia], 28 Apr. 2003)

The Answer to the Coffee Crisis? Farmers Want Fair Price, Kraft Says Increase Demand - Calls for fair prices and Fair Trade Certified coffee by social investors, coffee farmers, and Oxfam go unheeded by Kraft. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 25 Apr. 2003)

Oxfam: Kraft Foods Refutes Accountability and Shows Lack of Leadership in Addressing Global Coffee Crisis Affecting 25 Million Coffee Farmers (Oxfam America, 22 Apr. 2003)

ETHIOPIA: Coffee drinkers urged to support growers - Two British Members of Parliament (MP) on Thursday urged coffee drinkers to use consumer power to get impoverished coffee growers a better deal. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 4 Apr. 2003)

Clif Bar [producer of energy bars] Forms Wind-Farm Partnership to Offset CO2 Footprint [USA] - Clif Bar Inc. has announced it is supporting the construction of the first large-scale Native American-owned wind farm to offset the carbon dioxide generated by the energy used in its offices, manufacturing, and business travel during 2002...The company joins Stonyfield Farm, The Timberland Company, Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and other companies in sponsoring the project. (GreenBiz.com, 26 Mar. 2003)

Yale Students Will Sip Fair-Traded Coffee Exclusively [USA] - As of next fall, only "Fair Trade"-certified coffee will be served in the dining halls of Yale University. (Yale News Release, 18 Mar. 2003)

CHILD LABOR: ILO, Inter-American Development Bank Examine Strategies -...Most child laborers in Latin America work in agriculture, especially coffee growing, but urban areas are the scene of child labor and exploitation, including child prostitution (UN Wire, 13 Mar. 2003)

Sale of Fairtrade products doubles [UK] - Sales of goods that promise a better deal for farmers in developing countries have more than doubled in three years, it was announced at the weekend...Sainsbury's now sells around 1 million Fairtrade bananas a week, and has own-brand coffee, tea, and chocolate that carry the Fairtrade certification mark. Last November the Co-op supermarket chain announced it was switching all its own-brand chocolate to Fairtrade. (David Brown, Guardian [UK], 3 Mar. 2003)

Retail therapy - Awareness of how and where goods are produced has soared - and so has the fair trade movement -...Now there are more than 100 products, ranging from tea, coffee and bananas to sugar, wine, honey, fruits, juices, snacks and biscuits, chilli peppers and meat. Coming next are fair trade clothes and textiles, and fair trade footballs...To go truly mainstream, though, fair trade must occupy more than a remote shelf in a supermarket. There are the first signs that that is happening as the Co-op and Safeway supermarkets start their own fair trade lines. (John Vidal, Guardian [UK], 26 Feb. 2003)

Kraft criticised over coffee policy [UK] - A Gloucestershire company is being accused of making excessive profits at the expense of farmers in the developing world. The charity Oxfam says Cheltenham-based Kraft Foods is making billions in profits around the world, particularly from its coffee products, while farmers are facing bankruptcy. (BBC News, 4 Feb. 2003)

Can't say fairer than that - Once a minority cause, Fairtrade is now becoming mainstream, writes Simon Caulkin [refers to Nestlé, Cafédirect, Co-op supermarket] (Simon Caulkin, Observer [UK], 2 Feb. 2003)

Dutch Company Perfects 'Green' Roasting of Coffee Beans - Peeze coffee roasters only use green energy generated from wind, water and solar sources, along with electricity generated from their own solar panel (Edie News, on Greenbiz.Com website, 20 Jan. 2003)

2002:

Ethical Funds Inc. [Canada] supports Oxfam's Coffee Rescue Plan: Investors ally with Oxfam to help coffee farmers - Ethical Funds Inc. today announced its support for the Coffee Rescue Plan proposed by the international development organization Oxfam, and other humanitarian and environmental organizations. (Ethical Funds, Inc., 4 Dec. 2002)

GUATEMALA: UNDP Helping Coffee Growers Adjust To Economic Crisis -...the U.N. Development Program is supporting a project to help farmers offset the global collapse of prices for their crop and a regional drought by developing environment-friendly alternative sources of income. (Scott Hartmann, UN Wire, 15 Nov. 2002)

Nicaragua growers open sustainable coffee conference (Ivan Castro, Reuters, 11 Nov. 2002)

Six Businesses Vie for Top Sustainability Prize - The World Resources Institute has announced that six sustainable enterprises in Latin America are finalists in a competition [AmazonLife S.A., Cafe La Selva, Comercio Alternativo, Empresas ESM, Solar Trade Corporation, TopAir] (GreenBiz.com, 29 Oct. 2002)

NATURAL RESOURCES: Consumer Demand Still Fueling Wars, NGO Says - A new report released today by the nongovernmental Worldwatch Institute urges better monitoring of trade in natural resources taken from conflict zones, saying that such imports fuel brutal conflicts in the developing world..."Brutal wars over natural resources like coltan -- a mineral that keeps cell phones and other electronic equipment functioning -- diamonds, tropical woods and other rare materials have killed or displaced more than 20 million people and are raising at least $12 billion a year for rebels, warlords, repressive government and other predatory groups around the world," the institute says...Opium, gems, oil, timber, natural gas, precious metals, coffee and cocoa are among the resources cited as helping to pay for wars over the past 50 years. (UN Wire, 17 Oct. 2002)

US urged to wake up to "coffee with a conscience" -...fair trade beans are slowly making inroads into some of America's favourite coffee emporiums, with them being sold in some 10,000 outlets nationally including retailers such as Starbucks, the world's largest speciality coffee company, the supermarket chain Safeway and the food conglomerate Sara Lee. (Ros Davidson, Reuters, 15 Oct. 2002)

Coffee Company [Thanksgiving Coffee Company] Delivers Using 100% Biodiesel [an alternative fuel made from vegetable oil that greatly reduces harmful emissions] [USA] (GreenBiz.com, 9 Oct. 2002) 

Peru jungle farmers raise cups to fair trade coffee -...Farmers in Alto Incariado have joined up with the local La Florida Cooperative selling coffee carrying the "fair trade" label - a seal guaranteeing consumers that producers comply with conditions like a "decent wage" for farmers, the right to unionize, environmental standards and shunning child labor. [refers to fair trade coffee generally, and to Starbucks, Costa/Whitbread PLC, Cafe Direct, Max Havelaar] (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 27 Sep. 2002)

International Starbucks protest comes to town [Berkeley, USA] - A dozen protesters picketed outside the Oxford Street Starbucks Wednesday as part of an international campaign urging the chain to buy more "Fair Trade" coffee from farmers....A Starbucks representative at the protest said the company has made significant progress on the issue, selling bags of Fair Trade coffee to customers since October 2000 and brewing it once a month in stores since May 2002. (David Scharfenberg, Berkeley Daily Planet, 26 Sep. 2002)

Coffee Campaign - Take Action! What's that in your coffee? Plummeting coffee prices have caused a global humanitarian crisis...Please ask Procter & Gamble – maker of Folgers and Millstone – to help end the crisis by including Fair Trade Certified coffee in their products. (Oxfam America) [added to this website on 23 Sep. 2002]

Coffee companies under fire as millions face ruin - Millions of people in 45 coffee-growing countries are facing economic ruin - and many are going hungry - due to collapsing world prices. Oxfam today launches a global campaign to tackle the coffee crisis and force the corporate giants who dominate the $60-billion industry [Sara Lee, Kraft, Procter & Gamble and Nestlé] to pay farmers a decent price. (Oxfam, 18 Sep. 2002)

U.S. Company Receives World Summit Award for Sustainable Development Partnerships - ForesTrade, which markets organic spices and fair trade coffee, was the sole U.S. company to win a Sustainable Development Partnerships Award at the Johannesburg Summit. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 6 Sep. 2002)

Fair trade coffee buzz gaining momentum (Missy Ryan, Reuters, 7 Aug. 2002) 

Citigroup backs sustainable business - Financial services giant Citigroup is encouraging sustainable enterprise in Latin America through its work with the World Resources Institute on the New Ventures initiative. Through a series of competitions open to entrepreneurs across Latin America, a panel of experts selects small and medium sized enterprises whose business ideas promise sustainability while respecting social and environmental factors. Selected companies attend an international investment forum, and can win access to business mentoring services...Entrepreneurial schemes to benefit from the New Ventures initiative include ecotourism operators, and producers of shrimps, charcoal, wood, coffee, and electric vehicles for delivering goods in densely populated cities. One Argentinean firm is dedicated to the sustainable breeding of the guanaco - a wild Patagonian camelid - for its wool. In Brazil, Ouro Fértil...uses coconut fibres to create biodegradable and organic products for sale on the local and international markets. (International Chamber of Commerce, 1 Aug. 2002)

McMaster is first Canadian University to affiliate with Worker Rights Consortium: University develops new policies on labour code practices, fair trade coffee (Kelly Curwin, McMaster University Daily News, 31 July 2002)

Starbucks, Ford Foundation, Oxfam America and CEPCO [Oaxacan State Coffee Producers Network] Announce Innovative Collaboration to Increase the Supply of High Quality Fair Trade Coffee (Oxfam America, 29 July 2002)

"Mad" Brazilian coffee farmer has last laugh -...Jose Romero sought to show that the so-called "third way" of farming - caring for the land, wildlife and workers - was sustainable. (Peter Blackburn, Reuters, 23 July 2002)

Supporting Science, Supporting Sustainability - Earthwatch Institute's Corporate Fellowship Program places corporate employees in the field with top scientists for the benefit of both the environment and the sponsoring companies [refers to Ford Motor Co., Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto, Starbucks] (Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com, 18 July 2002) 

Introduction of a House Resolution urging the government to purchase fair trade certified coffee [USA] - Today Rep. Pete Stark introduced a House [U.S. House of Representatives] Resolution expressing the sense of Congress that all branches of the Federal Government should limit purchases of coffee to those suppliers that are certified to have paid coffee farmers a fair price for their products. (Office of Congressman Pete Stark, 17 July 2002)

Initiative to Test Berkeley Voters' Coffee Conscience [USA] -...After gathering 3,000 signatures, Mr. Young's voter initiative requiring that all cups of coffee sold in Berkeley be Fair Trade, shade-grown or organic has qualified for the November ballot. If it passes, it would make this the only city in the nation with an official coffee policy. (Evelyn Nieves, New York Times, 7 July 2002)

Coffee is more than a beverage to most of the world -...My company -- a Bay Area gourmet coffee roaster that distributes nationwide [USA] -- spends at least four months each year directly aiding (providing houses, schools, etc.) farmers in Latin America, Indonesia and Africa...the socially conscious can urge coffee drinkers coast to coast to pressure roasters to establish "social contracts" with farms that include: -- Multiyear fixed prices well above the cost of production -- Programs that provide basic amenities (nutrition, health care, education, housing, sanitary living and working conditions) for coffee farm workers -- Direct payment and implementation of materials and services to coffee workers -- rather than merely donating a percentage of sales to farms. (Jon B. Rogers, founder and president of San Leandro-based San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee Co, in San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2002)

Longer hours lead to lawsuits over pay [USA] [regarding lawsuits about unpaid overtime; refers to Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, Rite Aid, Bank of America, Pacific Bell, Farmers Insurance Group]  (Fay Hansen, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2002)

Making Fair Trade Work in Mexico - In Mexico, a growing number of coops, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), microenterprises, and campesino groups are proving that fair trade offers a viable alternative to communities struggling to cope with globalization [refers to initiatives relating to agriculture, food, cosmetics, coffee, ecotourism, chocolate, retail; also refers to indigenous groups] (Talli Nauman, Americas Program, Interhemispheric Resource Center, July 2002)

"Get to Consumers" to Help Save the Environment, Says New Report [by Worldwatch Institute] -...With the help of product labeling--for example, of genetically engineered foods or wood products harvested in a sustainable way--and the use of quality and efficiency standards, consumers now have the choice of more environmentally friendly products. The study describes six "eco-labeling" programs--covering such diverse areas as seafood, domestic appliances, tourism, and coffee--that award a seal of approval to producers who observe standards designed to ensure environmental protection. (Alison Raphael, OneWorld US, 24 June 2002)

Starbucks changes its brew [Canada] - Starbucks will offer "fair trade" coffee at its Canadian outlets...Fair trade coffee has been available at Starbucks in the U.S. and the United Kingdom for two years. (CBC News, 21 May 2002)

Starbucks' struggle for moral ground: Program to aid poor coffee growers off to slow start -...Starbucks said it would pay vendors in origin countries a premium price -- up to 10 cents extra per pound -- if they can prove they're protecting the environment and meeting, if not exceeding, the minimum legal requirements for wages, benefits and working conditions...But Starbucks' well-wishers and detractors alike say that progress in the first four months of the two-year test program looks plodding at best. Some criticize the financial incentives as insufficient. Others say the verification process is flawed. (Bill Clifford, CBS.MarketWatch.com, 2 May 2002)

North American Fair Trade Movement Reports Big Advances - The Fair Trade industry in North America made nearly US$100 million in gross sales in the year 2000, according to a new report released this week by the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), an association of retail and wholesale outlets committed to ensuring that Third World producers are paid a basic living wage for their products...it expects further increases in 2001 and 2002 primarily due to the rapidly growing market for fair-trade coffee sold by retail outlets (Jim Lobe, OneWorld, 1 May 2002)

Violence against women in the workplace in Kenya: Assessment of workplace sexual harassment in the commercial agriculture and textile manufacturing sectors in Kenya [based on survey research in the coffee, tea & light manufacturing industries] (International Labor Rights Fund, May 2002)

EAST ASIA: Region's Poor Shortchanged by Trade Rules - Activists - East Asia's farmers, fishermen and women workers are being shortchanged by trade policies that offer few real opportunities to get out of poverty, activists with the international development agency Oxfam here say [includes reference to rice farmers in Thailand, coffee growers in Vietnam, fishermen in Philippines, women in Cambodia's garment industry] (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Inter Press Service, 25 Apr. 2002)

Kenya: Child labourers hit 3 million mark -...Labour Commissioner Abisai Ambenge...identified some of the areas where child labour is rampant including salt harvesting in Malindi, miraa farming in Meru North, and tea and coffee plantations in Central, Eastern and Rift Valley Provinces (Child Labour News Service, 15 Apr. 2002)

Starbucks shares cup of goodwill [USA]: Exec tells DU [Denver University] students, businesses the value of social responsibility -...leaders of the movement that blamed Starbucks for the plight of millions of coffee farmers mired in some of the planet's worst poverty say they now are broadening their campaign to target major "can" coffee companies such as Maxwell House and Folgers. (Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2002) 

Costa Rica has launched a "sustainable" coffee seal: Costa Rica has launched a "sustainable" coffee seal to be awarded to growers who protect plantation ecosystems, save energy, clean up waste-disposal, improve pest and disease control, provide healthy working conditions for pickers and reduce the use of chemicals. (Veronica Vega, Reuters, 12 Apr. 2002)

Coffee in good conscience: Students campaign for roasters to provide only 'fair-trade' beans [USA] -...with the school [Western Washington University] considering bids for a new 10-year food-services contract, McDonald and the group he leads, Students for Fair Trade, are pushing for all coffee — including decaf and espresso drinks — on campus to be fair-trade certified. To be certified, third-party monitors must have confirmed that farmers were paid a fair price for their beans. (Jake Batsell, Seattle Times, 17 Mar. 2002)

{···français} Le Gabon prend conscience du phénomène du trafic d'enfants (AFP, 16 mars 2002)

ILO launches program to combat child labour in Nicaraguan coffee industry: The ILO is launching a $275,000 program in Nicaragua to combat child labour in the country's coffee industry during the next year and assist 1,500 working children attend school. (La Prensa [Nicaragua], English summary in Child Labour News Service, 15 Mar. 2002)

Bitter taste of Starbucks' success: Starbucks has become a target for environmental pressure groups partly because its socially responsible image makes it an easy target, writes Alison Maitland (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 10 Mar. 2002)

Poor farmers taste success - Fairtrade is making headway but is still a tiny part of global trade [refers to coffee industry, cocoa/chocolate industry, Max Havelaar coffee brand, Cafedirect, Starbucks, Sainsbury, Co-op, Day Chocolate Company] (Roger Cowe, Financial Times, 4 Mar. 2002)

Prison Blues; Starbucks, Nike, others profit from inmate labor [at U.S. prisons] - A partial list of companies that have worked within the prison system, directly employed prison workers, or contracted with companies that employ prison workers, either currently or in the past: Allstate, Best Western, Dell Computer, Eddie Bauer, Hawaiian Tropical Products, J. C. Penney, Kmart, Kwalu Inc., Konica, Lockhart Technologies, McDonald's, Merrill Lynch, Microjet, Microsoft, New York, New York Hotel and Casino, Nike, No Fear Inc., Omega Pacific, Parke-Davis, Planet Hollywood, Prison Blues (jeans), Shearson Lehman, Starbucks, Target, TWA, Victoria's Secret, Union Bay, Upjohn, Washington Marketing Group (Erica Barnett, In These Times, 4 Mar. 2002)

Food for thought: Corporate Social Responsibility for food and beverage manufactures -  An introduction for policy-setters and operational managers, featuring best practice from eight leading companies in the food and beverage sector. [includes reference to social & environmental issues; cocoa, coffee, tea & banana sectors; Tea Sourcing Partnership in the UK; Chiquita/Rainforest Alliance's 'Better Banana Project'] (Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, Mar. 2002)

Starbucks Offers Fairtrade Certified Coffee in the UK: Agreement with Fairtrade Foundation to Roll Out Coffee in All Stores by Summer (Starbucks, 26 Feb. 2002)

Protesters demand Starbucks pay fair prices for beans:...Starbucks sells Fair Trade coffee in bulk, but does not brew it on a regular basis. (Associated Press, 23 Feb. 2002)

Starbucks braces for another round with eco-protests: Facing mounting pressure from protest groups, Starbucks Corp. this week affirmed its commitment to environmentally friendly products and fair wages for coffee farmers. (Chris Stetkiewicz, Reuters, 15 Feb. 2002)

Brazil coffee more eco-friendly - grower:...Rodrigues said that quality was no longer the only issue and that roasters were prepared to pay a premium to help fund projects to protect the environment and aid local coffee communities. (Peter Blackburn, Reuters, 6 Feb. 2002)

Procter & Gamble to Provide $1.5 Million to TechnoServe to Help Small-Scale Coffee Growers In Latin America:..."P&G's and TechnoServe's shared goal is to find a sustainable way of making coffee growing as profitable as possible for as many people as possible" (joint press statement by TechnoServe and Procter & Gamble, 23 Jan. 2002)

2001:

CONGO: Security Council Debates Action Against Resource Exploitation - The panel [Expert Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] continues to support a moratorium on the purchase and import of coltan, diamonds, copper, timber, coffee and other products produced in D.R.C. territory occupied by rebels or foreign troops. (UN Wire, 17 Dec. 2001)

Representative Miller [U.S. Congressman George Miller] Urges Companies, Consumers To Switch To Fair Trade Certified Coffee:...Miller also just signed a letter from members of Congress to major coffee roasters and buyers to encourage them to incorporate sustainable coffees into their product lines. (Office of Congressman George Miller, 7 Dec. 2001)

Kenya Has 3.5m Child Workers - Unicef: Kenya has a staggering 3.5 million child labourers and most of them work under very difficult conditions...Most children labourers in Central Kenya are working in coffee and horticultural estates. In Western Kenya, the children work in sugar plantations. (Peter Ngare, East African Standard [Nairobi], 4 Dec. 2001)

UN Group Urges Ban On Imports From Congo [Democratic Republic of Congo]: A new U.N. report calls for a temporary ban on the purchase of minerals, timber and coffee from parts of Congo occupied by foreign armies, saying the unabated plundering of resources is prolonging a three-year civil war in the Central African country. (Karl Vick, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2001)

Starbucks says program will reward responsible suppliers: Starbucks Coffee on Monday unveiled a plan to pay coffee suppliers up to 10 cents more per pound if they protect the environment and abide by local minimum wage and worker safety laws. (Allison Linn, Associated Press, 12 Nov. 2001)

Cultivating Environment-Friendly Coffee: Shade-grown coffee is an option for environmental and economic sustainability in El Salvador -...As an outcome of the project, 224 coffee plantations will be certified with the ECO/OK seal, which the Rain Forest Alliance grants to farmers who cultivate coffee in a manner consistent with biodiversity preservation. Four coffee-processing plants will be certified as well. (Development News, World Bank, 6 Nov. 2001)

Close, But No Cigar: Starbucks' programs show improvement in commitment to fair trade, but not nearly enough - On Friday Starbucks announced new programs related to Fair Trade Certified coffee, including the commitment to purchase 1 million pounds of coffee over the next 18 months. Global Exchange is pleased about any increase in the amount of Fair Trade Certified coffee purchased in the United States, as it means a direct and immediate improvement in the lives of farmers around the world. However, the announcement falls short of offering brewed Fair Trade coffee at least once a week at all store locations, a move that would prove a significant commitment to Fair Trade...And Starbucks' volume as a percentage of sales is still far below the industry minimum standard of 5% Fair Trade shared by almost every other of the 100 companies offering Fair Trade Certified coffee. (Deborah James, Global Exchange, 22 Oct. 2001)

P&G eschews fair-trade coffee offered by some sellers: Procter & Gamble Co. is resisting the decision of some companies to sell coffee that returns more profits to growers. Instead, P&G prefers its tradition of helping poor communities where the coffee is grown. (John Nolan, Associated Press, 10 Oct. 2001) 

Environmentalist group renews protest against Starbucks (Puget Sound Business Journal, 17 Sep. 2001)

Together at Last: Cutting Pollution and Making Money - Some 30 years after the environmental movement took hold, many companies are giving second lives to raw materials, fuels and other products that previously went to landfills. "The notion that environment is just an expensive cost is way out of date," said Glenn T. Prickett, executive director of the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, a unit of Conservation International created with money from the Ford Motor Company. [examples of projects at Starbucks, Nova Chemicals and Los Angeles International Airport undertaken with only environmental goals in mind, yet yielding unexpected savings or revenue streams] (Claudia H. Deutsch, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2001) 

Some coffee beans may also be tainted by slavery (Sumana Chatterjee and Tish Wells, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 13 Aug. 2001)

COTE D'IVOIRE: National Commission To Fight Child Trafficking - Cote d'Ivoire has approved the creation of a national commission to fight child trafficking and slavery amid international accusations that up to 90% of its cocoa supplies are produced by child slaves. (UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2001)

Hard Times for Coffee Farmers: Latin America is littered with monuments to the boom-bust history of tropical cash crops: the moldering palaces of rope-fiber growers in the Yucatan, Central America's abandoned banana plantations, the crumbling mansions of sugar barons in Cuba. But no bust has been crueler than the current collapse of coffee prices. Few have sparked such massive displacement of small-scale farmers and crops, or posed such a threat to the environment. (Mark Stevenson, Associated Press, 27 July 2001)

'Cause coffees' produce a cup with an agenda: 'Shade-grown,' 'fair trade' and other eco-friendly, socially aware blends of java are attracting consumers (Patrick McMahon, USA Today, 26 July 2001)

Group's goal: fair price for coffee (Sarah Tomlinson, Boston Globe, 20 May 2001)

Oxfam urges plan to aid world's coffee farmers (Clare Black, Reuters, 16 May 2001)

Bitter coffee: how the poor are paying for the slump in world coffee prices (press release, Oxfam, 16 May 2001)