The sustainability goals of the UN
Die globalen Nachhaltigkeitsziele der Weltgemeinschaft wurden The global sustainability goals of the international community were adopted by the German government in 2017 as a roadmap for the future. In the German agenda, 63 concrete goals have been adopted which are to be reviewed every four years. Due to the urgency and importance of the topic, an updated supplement was already written in 2018.
The ultimate goal is a dignified life and the preservation of the natural foundations of life. Economic, ecological and also social aspects determine our actions. The United Nations and the Federal Government address their programmes to the governments of all states, but at the same time call on civil society, the private sector and science to make their contribution. In Germany, a joint effort has been set up for implementation, consisting of the Länder, a Sustainability Council, regional network offices, the Science Platform 2030 and industry.
We are convinced of the correctness and necessity of Agenda 2030 and would like to play an active role in its ambitious implementation, and we will gear our actions and activities to this future strategy. We have therefore reflected on what our contribution to the Agenda for the future is already today and what goals we will integrate into our future life and corporate philosophy.
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9: Industry, Innovation
& Infrastructure
10: Fewer inequalities
between countries
12: Sustainable production
& consumption
11: Sustainable cities & communities
14: Protecting life under water
16: Promoting strong
& transparent institutions
End poverty
Mexico is a poor country and especially the indigenous population suffers from this situation. All of our staff at the finca is based on the indigenous population of the surrounding villages. We are working on a sustainable improvement of the living conditions of precisely this population group. Dialogue plays an important role here in order not to interfere too much with the indigenous culture of life.
Securing food worldwide
The majority of the indigenous population cannot live through the work on the ground all year round. The main source of income is the 4-month harvesting period. Therefore there is a gap of eight months in supply. In order to prevent migration to the cities or to other countries, we have created a system that enables us to supply food. For this purpose, about 200 families are currently receiving land for cultivation free of charge in order to ensure their basic supply of corn, beans and the like.
Health & Wellbeing
Health care is very poorly developed in the area and consists of only one emergency room in the surrounding area. What is needed is a health centre which, among other things, treats all health problems, but also provides prevention in the form of vaccinations and health advice, all of which is best done free of charge. We can take out social insurance for our employees, but for the rest of the population free care is essential for survival. That is why we make part of our profits available for the construction and operation of such a health centre.
High quality education worldwide
A large part of the indigenous population can neither read nor write. We are involved in various projects to give the young population in particular access to education. For this purpose we primarily support primary schools in the surrounding area. At the request of the Mexican government, an area of 35 hectares was made available free of charge for university education to enable the university to plant test plants.
Equality of women & men
Even now, men and women receive the same pay for their work. This is especially true for work during the harvest season. A permanent employment of women on the finca is becoming increasingly important in our entrepreneurial activities and will continue to be strongly encouraged in the future.
Sufficient water of best quality
A supply of clean water is not guaranteed everywhere. Especially because environmental awareness is not yet so pronounced. For years we have been raising awareness of the need to keep existing water bodies clean, most of which are used for local water supplies. In order to ensure sustainable cleanliness, regular water samples are taken and evaluated. The expansion of sanitary facilities with a connected sewerage system is one of our main tasks for the near future.
Implementing climate protection worldwide
For more than 20 years, climate protection has been realised through an extensive reforestation programme. This creates a large amount of new and renewable CO2 storage facilities. The fact that these reservoirs are preserved when the trees are cleared is mainly due to the use of wood. Only by processing it as construction or commercial timber does the CO2 remain stored. The interesting and sustainable side effect is that plastic can be dispensed with for many products.
Life on land
Through the long established agroforestry culture on the Finca we avoid a monoculture. It not only creates a positive microclimate, but also prevents soil erosion, serves as protection for the coffee plants and promotes soil fertility for the cultivation of fruit and other crops. A continuous analysis of soil quality helps us to identify the most productive areas. Here it is not a question of squeezing out every square centimetre available, but of maintaining the fertility of subtropical soils. New biotopes are created, which also provide new habitats and retreats for animals and insects. We consider the way of many other neighbouring farmers to farm their land exclusively with livestock to be an ecological and economic catastrophe. Excessive livestock farming destroys the soil, causes increased CO2 emissions and offers people virtually no jobs.
Affordable & clean energy
In Mexico, energy is still largely generated from fossil fuels. This does not correspond to our idea of clean energy. For this reason, we would like to promote the expansion of renewable energies in the next few years, so that one day we can supply the coffee finca with energy in a self-sufficient and environmentally friendly way. This requires an enormous investment, but it will pay off in the future.
Sustainable management as an opportunity for all
Fair trade is only partly in our hands. As with almost all food, the greatest deficit lies in the adequate payment of producers. The prices are mainly dictated by the wholesalers in order to be able to offer the end customers the lowest possible purchase price. Equal opportunities begin with the consumer’s awareness and appreciation of the product.
Global partnership
We are more aware than ever of one thing – achieving sustainability goals is a joint project of all nations and people. We do not need to wait to see what the others do, but must lead the way ourselves. No matter how small our own contribution may seem, something big and new will emerge from many small contributions. We want to build bridges between companies, institutions and people with different interests and orientations. With the help of existing lively partnerships between our companies and initiatives, which are characterized by different orientations, goals and interests, and the resulting power and innovation, we want to be an inspiration for others.