The Beyond Trade standards that farmers are required to meet for Beyond Trade Certification, which is required for participation in the Beyond Trade program, have been developed based on experience of the reality within rural agricultural communities of the Beyond Trade team and feedback from farmers, while applying applicable international standards set by the:
• Amfori BSCI Code of Conduct
• Sello Libre de Trabajo Infantil del Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo de Perú
• IFC Performance Standards
• World Bank Environmental, Health and Safety guidelines
• WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard
• Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
OUR standards
1. Knowledge - You’re required to know, understand and train your team / employees in the Beyond Trade Standards.
2. Plant Origin - You are required to provide identification and traceability of plant origin.
3. Water - You will stay informed and respect the local environmental laws concerning the protection and conservation of waterways, and will comply with all local environmental laws related to any water bodies within and adjacent to your farm. You are required to properly treat water before disposing of it. You will not rely upon subterranean water sources to irrigate crops other than those (i) that are located on your property or (ii) for which you have received local permits and authorizations.
4. Forests - You will stay informed and respect the local environmental laws concerning the protection and conservation of forests, and will comply with all local environmental laws related to any water bodies within and adjacent to your farm. You will not expand agricultural operations to any natural reserves.
5. Wildlife - Preserve bees, birds and other wildlife natural habitats and ecosystems, on and around farms. You will not hunt threatened or endangered species included on the IUCN Red List in your area.
6. Sanitary - You are required to use a drying platform or rooms approved by your appointed Beyond Trade technical team that are protected from anything that might contaminate the coffee.
7. Transportation - During transportation, you cannot use anything other than bags designed to transport green coffee beans, including grain pro bags and other coffee bags. Other bags like grocery bags, dog food bags or anything that are not created for the purpose of carrying coffee cannot be used.
8. Labor Conditions - The farm working environment should be free of any engagement, support, or tolerance of behavior that is physically or verbally abusive. Forced labor, including slave, bonded, indentured, or involuntary, underage labor is prohibited. All temporary employees will at least earn and be paid the minimum wage laws of your state and country, and you commit to publishing the wage rate paid to temporary workers at the site of work. All permanent employees will at least earn and be paid the minimum wage laws of your state and country, and have a valid labor contract that complies with local labor laws. Wages shall be paid in a timely manner, regularly, and fully in local legal tender. All workers shall receive the same wages for the same work. All working conditions should be aligned to local labor laws and employees must all be treated fairly, including (i) the right to leave work and freely terminate their employment provided that workers give reasonable notice to the employer, (ii) the right to submit grievances in an anonymous manner, and (iii) the right to join workers organizations and bargain collectively. To the extent employees specifically request and perform additional hours beyond the regular working week, they shall be properly compensated for their overtime work in a manner compliant with local labor laws. Any infraction will lead to instant and permanent ban on participation in the Beyond Trade Program.
9. Child Labor - You will not formally employ children under the age of 15 years old and have a robust age verification mechanism in place as part of the hiring process. Subject to compliance with local laws, family members, and family members of employees under the age of 15 are authorized to help after school and during holidays, under the parent or guardian supervision. In the case that family members, or family members of your employees, under the age of 15 perform work at the farm, you will make best-efforts to ensure that such work performed includes the least physically intensive and dangerous parts of the cultivation process, and at no times will they be permitted to perform hazardous work. Any infraction will lead to instant and permanent ban on participation in the Beyond Trade Program.
10. Occupational Health & Safety - You will commit to ensure systems and policies are in place to detect, assess, avoid, and respond to potential health and safety of workers. Such systems shall include effective measures, such as training programs, to minimize the incidence of accidents, injuries, or illnesses for employees caused by work. In the case of employees that live temporarily at the farm site, you will commit to ensure adequate access to safe drinking water, sanitary facilities, rest areas, as well as the provision of quality food and generally dignified living conditions. You will commit to provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to all employees when necessary.
11. Non-Discrimination - You will not engage or tolerate discrimination based on the basis of gender, age, religion, race, social background, disability, ethnic and national origin, nationality, membership in unions or any other legitimated organizations, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or any other condition that could give rise to discrimination. Any infraction will lead to instant and permanent ban on participation in the Beyond Trade Program.
12. Chemical Use - You commit to use organic fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, and other inputs (the “Inputs”), as well as non-genetically modified seed, on a best-efforts basis in all cases except emergencies. You will only be allowed chemical use in emergency cases of plague and infestations and no more than twice a year. If the use of non-organic chemicals is necessary, you are required to first talk with your appointed Beyond Trade technical support expert and add all the information to the Farm Production Traceability Form. You commit to avoid the release of pollutants to the air, water, and land, and when avoidance is not feasible, take appropriate measures to control the intensity and mass flow of their release. You commit to avoid the generation of hazardous waste material (as defined under the Basel Convention) and to dispose of all waste in an environmentally sound manner. You commit to not purchase, store, use, manufacture, or trade in products that fall in the WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard Class Ia (extremely hazardous) or Ib (highly hazardous). You commit to not purchase, store, use, manufacture or trade in Class II (moderately hazardous) pesticides, unless the project has appropriate controls on manufacture, procurement, or distribution and / or use of these chemicals.
13. Local Education & Training - You commit to send your children to school through the minimum age required by local law and will require that as a condition to employment, all employees (both temporary and permanent) send their children to school through the minimum age required by local law. Furthermore, to the extent your children, or the children of your employees, perform work on your farm (always in compliance with Principle 8 and 9), you commit to offer them knowledge transfer opportunities of farming best practices, including participation in any technical trainings provided by the Beyond Trade technical support team that occur outside of school hours.
14. Soil Restoration - You commit to conduct a soil test with the Beyond Trade technical support team on an annual basis and commit to restore soil nutrient levels to prior year levels per the recommendations provided by the Beyond Trade technical support team.
15. Community Engagement - You commit to assist your community and local government with any emergency response efforts and have safety procedures in place to protect the local community from hazardous materials release, transport and disposal.
16. Monitoring - You commit to participate in an annual assessment of compliance with the Beyond Trade Rules & Standards, which will be conducted by a Beyond Trade technical support team member. You also commit to answer the annual Beyond Trade survey.