CARE International in Viet Nam, in collaboration with Community Development Company Limited (CDC), recently held a launch ceremony for the “Sustainable Coffee, Raising Responsibility” (SustainCoffee) project, alongside a seminar on environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices in Viet Nam’s coffee sector.

Funded by the European Union (EU) under its Global Gateway initiative, the project will run from December 2025 to May 2029 in Dak Lak coupled with Son La provinces. It aims to provide direct support to more than 400 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) along with cooperatives across the coffee value chain, while indirectly benefiting an estimated 1.4 million farmers and workers.

A panel discussion held as part of the project launch ceremony.

As part of the launch event, organisers presented research findings on the current state of ESG practices in Viet Nam’s coffee sector, concurrently held a seminar entitled “From ESG Commitments to Practical Implementation in the Coffee Sector”.

Addressing the ceremony, comrade Nguyen Thien Van, Dak Lak PPC Vice Chairman, emphasised that promoting sustainable production and responsible business practices was a key priority in helping the local coffee sector adapt to emerging requirements in international markets. The SustainCoffee project will develop ESG self-assessment toolkits, simultaneously provide technical training and expert consultancy, as well as offer financial support, enabling businesses to proactively make adjustments and strengthen their overall management capacity. To translate these objectives into practice, the PPC has pledged to direct relevant departments together with agencies to work closely together and create the most favourable conditions for project implementation.

Also addressing the event, Ms. Le Kim Dung, Head of the Representative Office of CARE International in Viet Nam, noted that numerous small businesses and cooperatives had proactively sought to improve their production alongside business operations but still lacked the necessary tools, resources and support to demonstrate the progress they had made. Therefore, SustainCoffee will help bridge this gap by translating ESG requirements along with principles into practical solutions for business operations. Through this approach, the project aims to ensure a fair and inclusive transition, enabling smallholder farmers, women combined with workers to benefit from the coffee value chain without being left behind.

Translated by HAI LOAN