Sustainability Awards 2022
The Sustainability Awards celebrate innovative individuals, projects, and businesses supporting sustainability in the coffee industry through collaborative partnerships that pursue equity, prioritize mutual benefits, and result in positive impact throughout the coffee value chain. The deadline to submit an application is January 7, 2022. There are three categories in the 2022 Sustainability Awards: Business Model, Individual, and Project.⠀
Sustainability Awards
The Sustainability Awards recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations that have created innovative projects or business models shown to expand and promote sustainability within the coffee world while inspiring others to initiate similar endeavors.
Since 2004, the SCA has recognized outstanding work in the field of sustainability with its annual Sustainability Awards.
The projects, business models, and people receiving these awards are not only dedicated to confronting the enormous challenges facing the specialty coffee industry—from climate change to gender inequality—but also to collaborating across geographies, cultures, and value chain roles, and to sharing the lessons they have learned for the benefit of the entire coffee sector.
Nominations for the 2022 Sustainability Awards are open November 15, 2021 through January 7, 2022.
Categories
BUSINESS MODEL
This award recognizes the role that for-profit companies play in the sustainability of the coffee sector. In addition to recognizing the individuals involved in creating the business, the award also aims to inspire others to build sustainable business models. Please note that this award is for businesses that have been operating for at least three years. Products, projects, and ideas do not qualify for the award.
Judging Criteria
Exceptional approach. Business models will pursue equity, prioritize mutual benefits, and address intertwined social, economic, and environmental challenges facing coffee value chains.
Adaptability. Business practices will be relevant to companies of various sizes and across diverse cultures and geographies.
Impact. Businesses will clearly articulate how their models have achieved measurable results.
Global inspiration. Business models will exemplify the contributions that specialty coffee makes to the accomplishment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Equitable Value Distribution. The SCA seeks to drive a sustainable specialty coffee agenda, motivated by the belief that specialty coffee must challenge mindsets – including those of industry leaders – and redetermine how value is created, measured, and distributed in coffee value chains. Businesses will be evaluated on their efforts towards equitable value distribution in this way.
Please note: Value does not refer solely to money, but rather to a combination of different types of reward in relation to the cost or investment made. Value is created by every activity in the coffee system, whether that activity consists of turning roasted coffee and water into a beverage or turning soil, rain, and seeds into coffee plants. The recognition of and reward for these many different varieties of value is influenced by many factors including cultural and political beliefs.
Equitable distribution refers to how the total value – monetary and non-monetary – created by all actors in the coffee system is distributed among them. Equitable distribution does not result in everyone receiving the same reward, but rather the right return for the value they add, the risks they take, and the costs they bear.
Eligibility and Process
This annual award is open to SCA members. Applications must be submitted by, or on behalf of, a business in operation for a minimum of three years. Individuals, organizations, businesses, farms, and cooperatives may submit applications for multiple business models.
For 2022, there will be two rounds of review: first, a team of SCA staff will review all submissions that meet the requirements listed in the form below, considering a wide range of applications that reflect the depth and breadth of sustainable work being done in all areas across the specialty coffee industry.
A second round of applicants will be selected as finalists and may be asked to provide additional information.
Prize
SCA Sustainability Award Winner Plaque
SCA Sustainability Award Winner logo for promotional use
Recognition on sca.coffee, in SCA News article and in press release
One five-minute speaking slot during the Sustainability Awards Session at the Re:co Symposium in Boston, USA on April 6-7, 2022
One complimentary ticket to the 2022 Re:co Symposium, which includes a three-day pass to the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo immediately following Re:co in Boston, USA
A US $1,000 travel stipend to attend the 2022 Re:co and Expo events
PROJECT
This award celebrates innovative projects that advance the coffee sector’s pursuit of sustainability. In addition to recognizing the work of the individuals, businesses, and organizations involved in the project, the award also aims to inspire other sector actors to take action in their own contexts. Please note that this award is only for projects that have been implemented for at least three years. Products, companies, business models, and ideas do not qualify for the award.
Judging Criteria
Exceptional approach. Projects will pursue equity, prioritize mutual benefits, and contribute to the sustainability of the coffee industry by addressing intertwined social, economic, and environmental challenges facing the coffee sector.
Adaptability. Project learnings will be relevant to projects of various sizes and across diverse cultures and geographies.
Impact. Projects will clearly articulate how their models have achieved measurable results.
Global inspiration. Projects will exemplify the contributions that specialty coffee makes to the accomplishment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Equitable Value Distribution. The SCA seeks to drive a sustainable specialty coffee agenda, motivated by the belief that specialty coffee must challenge mindsets – including those of industry leaders – and redetermine how value is created, measured, and distributed in coffee value chains. Businesses will be evaluated on their efforts towards equitable value distribution in this way.
Please note: Value does not refer solely to money, but rather to a combination of different types of reward in relation to the cost or investment made. Value is created by every activity in the coffee system, whether that activity consists of turning roasted coffee and water into a beverage or turning soil, rain, and seeds into coffee plants. The recognition of and reward for these many different varieties of value is influenced by many factors including cultural and political beliefs.
Equitable distribution refers to how the total value – monetary and non-monetary – created by all actors in the coffee system is distributed among them. Equitable distribution does not result in everyone receiving the same reward, but rather the right return for the value they add, the risks they take, and the costs they bear.
Eligibility and Process
This annual award is open to SCA members. Applications must be submitted on behalf of a project implemented for a minimum of three years. Individuals, organizations, businesses, farms and cooperatives may submit applications for multiple projects or programs.
For 2022, there will be two rounds of nomination review. A team of SCA staff will review all submissions that meet the requirements listed in the form below, considering a wide range of applications that reflect the depth and breadth of sustainable work being done in all areas across the specialty coffee industry.
A second round of applicants will be selected as finalists and may be asked to provide additional information.
Prize
SCA Sustainability Award Winner Plaque
SCA Sustainability Award Winner logo for promotional use
Recognition on sca.coffee, in SCA News article and in press release
One five-minute speaking slot during the Sustainability Awards Session at the Re:co Symposium in Boston, USA on April 6-7, 2022
One complimentary ticket to the 2022 Re:co Symposium, which includes a three-day pass to the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo immediately following Re:co in Boston, USA
A US $1,000 travel stipend to attend the 2022 Re:co and Expo events
INDIVIDUAL
This award celebrates individuals who have significantly contributed to advancing sustainability in the coffee industry, for example by raising awareness of key issues or developing a project or business model that generates positive social and environmental impacts. In addition to recognizing the achievements of the winner, the award also aims to inspire others to initiate similar endeavors. Please note that individuals must have spent at least three years working in coffee to be eligible for this award and that products, companies, business models, and ideas do not qualify for the award.
Judging Criteria
Exceptional approach. Individuals will pursue equity, prioritize mutual benefits, and contribute to the sustainability of the coffee industry by addressing intertwined social, economic, and environmental challenges facing the coffee sector.
Adaptability. Individuals will demonstrate the ability to bridge diverse cultures and geographies.
Impact. Individuals will clearly articulate how they have achieved measurable results.
Global inspiration. Individuals will exemplify the contributions that specialty coffee makes to the accomplishment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Equitable Value Distribution. The SCA seeks to drive a sustainable specialty coffee agenda, motivated by the belief that specialty coffee must challenge mindsets – including those of industry leaders – and redetermine how value is created, measured, and distributed in coffee value chains. Businesses will be evaluated on their efforts towards equitable value distribution in this way.
Please note: Value does not refer solely to money, but rather to a combination of different types of reward in relation to the cost or investment made. Value is created by every activity in the coffee system, whether that activity consists of turning roasted coffee and water into a beverage or turning soil, rain, and seeds into coffee plants. The recognition of and reward for these many different varieties of value is influenced by many factors including cultural and political beliefs.
Equitable distribution refers to how the total value – monetary and non-monetary – created by all actors in the coffee system is distributed among them. Equitable distribution does not result in everyone receiving the same reward, but rather the right return for the value they add, the risks they take, and the costs they bear.
Eligibility and Process
This annual award is open to SCA members with at least three years of experience in the coffee industry (applicants do not need to have been association members for three years). Individuals may self-nominate or apply on behalf of someone else. SCA staff and members of its Board of Directors, Advisory Councils, and Guild Leadership Councils are not eligible for this award.
For 2022, there will be two rounds of review: first, a team of SCA staff will review all submissions that meet the requirements listed in the form below, considering a wide range of applications that reflect the depth and breadth of sustainable work being done in all areas across the specialty coffee industry.
A second round of applicants will be selected as finalists and may be asked to provide additional information.
Prize
SCA Sustainability Award Winner Plaque
SCA Sustainability Award Winner logo for promotional use
Recognition on sca.coffee, in SCA News article and in press release
One five-minute speaking slot during the Sustainability Awards Session at the Re:co Symposium in Boston, USA on April 6-7, 2022
One complimentary ticket to the 2022 Re:co Symposium, which includes a three-day pass to the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo immediately following Re:co in Boston, USA
A US $1,000 travel stipend to attend the 2022 Re:co and Expo events
