GCP Equivalence Mechanism

Ensuring credibility and alignment of sustainability schemes with baseline coffee sustainability expectations.

The Equivalence Mechanism is a framework that assesses whether sustainability schemes align with the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code, ensuring they meet minimum expectations in governance, standard-setting, assurance, data, and claims integrity.

The Equivalence Mechanism is currently under review to ensure it remains relevant, credible, and practical.

GCP Tools Review Process 2026

Review Process FAQ

The GCP Equivalence Mechanism is an innovative building block to support continual increases in the purchase of coffee produced following baseline principles and practices of sustainability.

The GCP Equivalence Mechanism is a framework developed by GCP to assess whether a sustainability schemes can be considered equivalent to the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (Coffee SR Code), a sector-wide reference on the foundations of sustainability in economic, social and environmental dimensions for green coffee production and primary processing worldwide. GCP’s Equivalence Process evaluates whether schemes meets both the Code SR Code and a set of operational criteria (including governance, standard-setting, assurance, data and claims requirements). This helps to ensure that recognized sustainability schemes have a credible and effective system for implementation. Aligning efforts and using a common language allows the coffee sector to better understand sustainability and identify which meet at least baseline practices of sustainability in a credible and effective manner.

For the assessment of the sustainability schemes, GCP partners with the International Trade Centre, which, as GCP implementation partner, assesses the schemes against the principles and practices of the Coffee SR Code and the Operational Criteria of the EM 2.0 ensuring the integrity of the recognition process. Following successful assessment and GCP recognition, sustainability schemes are eligible for roasters and retailers to be included in the annual GCP Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases, another way companies are aligning to advance coffee sustainability globally.

The Equivalence Mechanism, together with the Coffee SR Code and the GCP Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases are connected assets developed by GCP to offer a common language on the foundations for coffee sustainability and promote the supply and demand of coffee produced following at least baseline sustainability principles.

Find our FAQ here

Continuous improvement
An important update in 2026

The November 2025 round of recognition marks the close of the current recognition cycle under the Equivalence Mechanism 2.0, as GCP and its members look ahead to the next chapter of aligning for collective action through the upcoming review of the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code and the Equivalence Mechanism, ensuring these tools continue to serve a dynamic and forward-looking sector.

GCP has launched a regular five-year review cycle for the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (Coffee SR Code) and the Equivalence Mechanism (EM), following best practices under ISO and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice. This review will help ensure the Coffee SR Code and the EM remains current, relevant, and aligned with emerging sustainability expectations across the sector. The review process will take place during 2026.

We invite all stakeholders to stay connected through GCP’s website, by subscribing to our newsletter, and following our social media channels for updates and upcoming opportunities to participate in the review process.

Sustainability Schemes recognized
by GCP as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code

It is important to note that while all of the below sustainability schemes have been independently assessed as meeting the requirements of the GCP Equivalence Mechanism 2.0, – creating a common baseline understanding of sustainability – they are different, developed for different purposes and by different stakeholders.

Depending on their assurance model they are classified as either a GCP Coffee SR Code equivalent 2nd Party or 3rd Party assurance system.

In total, 33 sustainability schemes are currently recognized by GCP (see table below).

Four schemes have been recognized as equivalent with a 3rd party assurance system and 29 schemes as equivalent with 2nd party assurance system. They are eligible to be included in GCP Collective Reporting on Sustainable Coffee Purchases.

Key differences include chain of custody models, transparency, and stakeholder engagement in the system. GCP Members, especially roasters and retailers using sustainability schemes as part of their sourcing strategies should use the GCP recognition of equivalence to the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code as a starting point for their own due diligence.

List of Sustainability Schemes currently recognized

3rd PARTY
ASSURANCE SYSTEMS

4C

Fairtrade International, Small Producer Organization and Coffee Standard

Fair Trade USA’s Agriculture Production Standard

Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard

2nd PARTY
ASSURANCE SYSTEMS

Agri Evolve’s ACE

Comexim’s Green Trace

Coocacer’s Café Sustentàvel

Cooxupé’s Gerações

COFCO’s CROP

ECOM’s SMS Verified

Enveritas’ Enveritas Green

Expocacer’s ECO

Exportadora de Café Guaxupé’s Guaxupé Planet

HACOFCO’s CONNECT

illycaffé’s Responsibillyty

Louis Dreyfus Company’s Responsible Sourcing Program Advanced

Minasul’s LEGACY Protocol

MITSUI’s VSS Midori Protocol

2nd PARTY
ASSURANCE SYSTEMS

Montesanto Tavares Group’s GMT Green

Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program

Neumann Kaffee Gruppe’s NKG BLOOM, and
NKG Verified

 ofi’s AtSourceV, and
AtSource+

Perhusa’s ARTS

Racafé’s CRECER

 3E® by RGC Coffee

Sucafina’s IMPACT

Sucden’s Sucden Coffee Verified

Touton’s PACT 

Volcafe’s Volcafe Verified, and
Volcafe Excellence

Westrock Coffee Company’s
RAÍZ Sustainability™

What does it mean to be Equivalent 2nd or 3rd Party?

2nd Party assurance system is often referred to as verification and 3rd party assurance system is often referred to as certification. The main difference between these two levels of assurance systems is that 3rd party assurance includes the independent oversight of the competency of the entity performing the assessments/audits to ensure effectiveness and impartiality, this includes but goes beyond third-party audits at farm level.

2nd Party assurance system is often referred to as verification and 3rd party assurance system is often referred to as certification. The main differences between these two levels of assurance are that 3rd Party assurance system:

i) includes the independent oversight of the competency of the entity performing the assessments/audits to ensure effectiveness and impartiality, this includes but goes beyond third-party audits at farm level

 ii) the scheme is not managed or owned by the certificate holder, audit firms, or buyer. Other key differences include chain of custody models, transparency, and stakeholder engagement in the system.

Documents of the
Equivalence Mechanism

Equivalence Mechanism 2.0

Annexes

Glossary

Main Changes

Consultation Synopsis

GCP Equivalence Mechanism and EU Deforestation Regulation

FAQs

Equivalence Mechanism 1.2

The Equivalence Mechanism in your language

The EM at a glance

3

Governance Criteria

4

Standard-setting Criteria

10

Assurance Criteria

6

Data Criteria

4

Claims Criteria

Governance

Sustainability Outcomes
Transparency
Complaints and Appeals

Standard-setting

Transparency: Sustainability Criteria
Transparency: Standard Setting
Stakeholder Engagement
Consistent Interpretation

Assurance

Fit for purpose
Assessment Methodology
Continuous Improvement
Remediation
Group Assessment
Assurance Providers’ Performance
Exceptions
Impartiality and Conflicts of Interest
Chain of Custody
Traceability

Data

Data management
Transparency: Performance Insights
Data Quality
Data Governance
Performance Reporting
M&E System

Claims

Defined Rules for Claims
Monitoring
Substantiation of Claims
AssuredClaims

Launching
the EM

Revisit the the launch webinar where industry voices discussed the Equivalence Mechanism revision, its broad consultation and its potential application to drive coffee sustainability.

Contact

For more information regarding the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code,
please contact:  

Gabriel Chavez Gonzalez

Manager Sustainable Sourcingemail me

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