VOCAL spotlights people and environment in new network of civil society organizations in coffee

VOCAL Network centers two priorities — Prosperous & Dignified People and Healthy & Thriving Environment — and urges buyers, funders and policymakers to act now

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS, February 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- VOCAL stands for ‘Voice of Organizations in Coffee Alliance.’ The VOCAL Network is a coalition of civil society members whose mission is to unite to achieve a sustainable coffee sector. It strives to combine evidence-based advocacy with practical action.

VOCAL’s vision is a coffee sector in which value, risk, resources and power are shared equitably between actors in order for smallholder farmers and workers to earn a living income or wage under decent working conditions, where inequalities are reduced and human rights are respected within a thriving and healthy environment and climate. Unfortunately, this is not the case for most coffee producers.
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VOCAL’s website outlines its advocacy positions for people, planet and accountability in the coffee sector, which include:

- Dignified and Prosperous People explores how poverty, low prices, and wage gaps remain the root causes of unsustainable practices in coffee.
- Healthy and Thriving Environment exposes the relationship between Coffee farming and environmental challenges including deforestation, climate change, loss of biodiversity, poor soil health and agrochemical use.
- Responsibility and Transparency explores the responsibility of individual entities and stakeholders, and the role of collective action.
- Confronting inequality, ensuring fair value and risk sharing, and mandating transparency and due diligence are all choices the sector can make for securing its long-term future.
- Unfiltered Accountability provides recommendations for stakeholders across industry, policy and finance.

As VOCAL Network is a coalition of diverse civil society organizations, its advocacy positions ,may transform depending on changing industry actions and policy environments, as well as membership and member priorities change.

Why these issues matter

- Prosperous & Dignified People: Producers supply roughly 80% of global coffee yet capture a disproportionately small share of value. Consultations reveal persistent living‑income gaps, delayed payments that force expensive credit or side‑selling, and a lack of buyer support for liquidity and compliance costs. VOCAL calls for living‑income aligned pricing, predictable payment terms, and practical risk‑sharing.
- Healthy & Thriving Environment: Producers are frontline stewards of soil, water and biodiversity. Climate impacts and ecosystem loss threaten supply and livelihoods. VOCAL urges buyer and policy investments in farmer‑led regenerative agroforestry, payments for ecosystem services, and procurement that rewards stewardship.
- Unfiltered Accountability: Industry, policymakers and financial actors are the focus of stakeholder accountability because they shape the rules, incentives, and flows of capital that determine whether prosperity, dignity, resilience and environmental protection are possible. Focusing on these stakeholders reflects both their outsized influence and the urgent need for collective responsibility beyond the farm level.

VOCAL’s role is two-fold:
- Civil‑society convener: amplifying unfiltered producer voices and coordinating NGO advocacy.
- Evidence and accountability: translating consultations into actionable policy asks and procurement guidance.


To learn more about VOCAL's advocacy positions, read the full living document on the VOCAL website and follow VOCAL on LinkedIn for updates, events and collaboration opportunities.

Ashlee Tuttleman
VOCAL Coffee Alliance
ashlee@vocalnetwork.org

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