Cooperating With “Open Cards”—The Role of Small Intermediary Businesses in Realizing Sustainable International Coffee Supply
Cooperating With “Open Cards”—The Role of Small Intermediary Businesses in Realizing Sustainable International Coffee Supply
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DOI：
10.3389/fsufs.2021.663716
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发表时间：
2021-07
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
H. Weber;Arnim Wiek
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
H. Weber;Arnim Wiek
尽管有所改善，国际粮食供应，特别是咖啡供应，仍然造成大量温室气体排放、经济不平等，并对人类福祉产生负面影响。人们一致认为，主导经济模式需要改变，以符合环境完整性、经济弹性和社会公平等可持续发展原则。然而，到目前为止，还没有什么实证证据可以通过烘焙厂、啤酒厂和/或零售商等小型中间企业在多大程度上以及在什么条件下实现可持续的国际咖啡供应。本案例研究报告了一家小型咖啡酿造厂及其在美国的客户以及一家小型咖啡烘焙厂及其在墨西哥的供应商之间的合作项目，该项目展示了可持续咖啡供应的样子，并探讨了在何种条件下可以实现这一目标。研究团队利用跨学科研究方法促进了合作，包括实地考察和利益相关者研讨会。该项目 (i) 评估了当前供应链和价值链的可持续性挑战； (ii) 制定联合可持续咖啡供应链的愿景； (iii) 制定战略以实现这一愿景，以及 (iv) 试点实施该战略。我们根据文献中提供的可持续国际咖啡供应的条件（为什么满足或不满足）讨论项目结果。总体而言，该研究表明，如果与“开放卡”合作，小型咖啡中间商可能有潜力在整个供应链中注入可持续性。调查结果证实了一些并增加了一些条件，包括通过整个供应链的合作、问题识别、透明度、信任和团结来实现经济弹性。该研究最后反思了研究局限性和未来研究需求。
Despite improvements, international food supply in general and coffee supply in particular continue to cause significant greenhouse gas emissions, economic inequities, and negative impacts on human well-being. There is agreement that dominant economic paradigms need to change to comply with the sustainability principles of environmental integrity, economic resilience, and social equity. However, so far, little empirical evidence has been generated to what extent and under which conditions sustainable international coffee supply could be realized through small intermediary businesses such as roasteries, breweries, and/or retailers. This case study reports on a collaborative project between a small coffee brewery and its customers in the U.S. and a small coffee roastery and its suppliers in Mexico that demonstrates how sustainable coffee supply could look like and explores under which conditions it can be realized. A research team facilitated the cooperation using a transdisciplinary research approach, including field visits and stakeholder workshops. The project (i) assessed the sustainability challenges of the current supply and value chains; (ii) developed a vision of a joint sustainable coffee supply chain; (iii) build a strategy to achieve this vision, and (iv) piloted the implementation of the strategy. We discuss the project results against the conditions for sustainable international coffee supply offered in the literature (why they were fulfilled, or not). Overall, the study suggests that small intermediary coffee businesses might have the potential to infuse sustainability across their supply chain if cooperating with “open cards.” The findings confirm some and add some conditions, including economic resilience through cooperation, problem recognition, transparency, trust, and solidarity across the supply chain. The study concludes with reflections on study limitations and future research needs.